Beyond the Shadows
by Virgo Writer
Summary: This story is about the fine line between love and obsession and a girl who uses both to escape a cruel reality. Its about Ash and Misty finding just why the worst situations tend to bring out the best in us. AAMRN
1. Do You See Me?

Summary – Have you ever noticed how the worst situations tend to bring out the best in us?  Or how just when you think things just couldn't get any worse, they usually do?  Or that when you've lost all hope and you don't think you can go on any longer, the one person you care about more than anything else on this godforsaken planet tells you the one thing that you've whished would pass their lips for as long as you could remember, 'I love you', and suddenly you feel stronger than ever before.

That's what this story is about, it's about finding love and putting it all on the line.  And it's about this "You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in." 

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon and if I suddenly come up with an original character here and there (god forbid) I'll warn you.

Oh, BTY, this story has an original character that shall be called stalker chick as of now until I officially introduce her with a name attached.  Anyways, on with the story.

Beyond the Shadows – Do You See Me?

She hardened her jaw as she watched the scene unfold before her beyond the glassy window of the Pokemon center.   Watched him kiss the ground _she_ walked upon.  She watched him pine for _her _every second of every day.  Watched him follow _her_ around like some demented lost puppy as they traveled through yet another town.  Watched him heed to _her_ every beck and call.

All this for nothing.

How she hated _her._  _Her_ hair, _her _clothes, and that stupid Pokemon she always had with _her._ There wasn't a single thing she liked about _her._  She couldn't see how he could ever be so in love with someone like _her._

_'Why can't it be me?'_ she thought to herself as she sniffed quietly and fought back the tears that kept threatening to escape down her cheeks at any moment.  _'Why can't he be in love with me?'_

She shook her head as she tried to clear it and turned her focus back to him, back to her one true love, back to her heart, her soul.  Back to the scene before her, her love pronouncing his to another.  It was so torturing to watch it day in and day out, but even this distant love and longing for him was better than nothing.

She loved him so much more than anyone could ever imagine.  He was the thing that made her life worth living each day.  The reason she got up each morning and the person that filled her dreams at night as she drifted into a state of sleep.  He was her star in the sky that kept her in this world.  She only wished he would feel the same.

It was all because of him, because of her undying love for him.  It was her love that had spawned the hatred she felt emitting through her entire body, for _her._  It was her love for him that made her dream of _her _death every night before her dreams turned to those of him.

Oh how she hated _her.  _He would give his heart to her only to have it ripped in two as _her_ next opportunity came along whereas she was willing to give her own to fill the empty void _her love_ had left behind.  He would risk it all for _her_ only to find _she_ would never do the same for him.

But some how there _she_ was, with him.  _She_ was the one he gave his heart to, the one who was worth all the risks, the one he showered with undeserved love and affection.  _She_ was the one who had it all, love, joy, happiness, all the things she had always been deprived of.  But most importantly, _she_ had him.

She hated the way _she_ pretended like he wasn't even there.  How _she _put so much effort into ignoring him.  How _she_ laughed at him every time he tried to address how he felt for _her._

When would he see that she was the one for him?  When would he understand that she was the girl who would make his dreams come true?  That she was his and his alone, and that he was hers.  Forever.

She walked up to her own room, depression stabbing at her twisted soul.  She smiled slightly as his image began to run through her head her mind trying to tug a smile onto her forlorn face.  She knew it wouldn't work, it never did.  

At first he was all she needed.  In the beginning all she needed was to see his face and suddenly everything was right again.  But now everything was different.  Somehow his effect over her tormenting emotions was somewhat less effective.  He no longer brought that same smile to her face just thinking about him, and she no longer felt at peace just thinking about being in his arms.

No, her dreams of finding love in him weren't enough anymore.  What she needed now more than anything was the physical manifestation of her dreams.  A deep meaningful kiss, or maybe even a simple kiss could change her whole perspective of life from the dooming wish for death to take her away at any moment to a new day.

She opened her suitcase carefully after she shut the door.  She looked at it adoringly; it was her shrine dedicated to him.  She kissed the clay sculpture lightly as she rearranged her collection of his hair so it was next to the collection of soda cans.

She took one of the blades from his razor and carefully used it to slit her wrist. She sighed feeling the adrenaline rushing and let it sweep her away to a far away place before wrapping her wrist and taking pills to clot her blood.  She knew exactly what she was doing.  She had been slitting her wrists long before he came along and she would still be doing it after he died.

For he wasn't the reason that she slit them.  He was just an excuse to keep her mind off the real reason.  He stopped her from thinking about the family who didn't love her, the father who had kicked her out, the mother who had hated her so much that she tried to kill her, the brother who tried to get away from it all, and the sister who bet them both.  

He was her rescuer saving her from the twisted reality that was her life and bringing her to a place more bearable.  He made reality something that was worth her life.  He turned it into somewhere where death wasn't the only answer and where there was still hope, even for her.  He turned it into something she wasn't afraid to live through and made her want to live for the first time in her life.

She wished she could tell him that.  She wished that he knew what he did for her.  But the truth wasn't an option.  Her dream world was so faraway form reality that she didn't want to know all the answers.  She didn't want to find out that they could never be and have her fantasy crumble to dust around her.  She would never be able to live through that and she knew that deep down, no matter how much she denied it she could hide from the truth.

_'Unrequited love'_ she thought to herself.  

~ to be continued ~

This chick is seriously screwed, but who can blame her with a family like that.  This is a story where absolutely anything could happen and anyone could be the stalkers target, minus Misty and Togepei because that she keeps insisting that it's a he.

Please review and stay tuned for the next chapter.

Later days.


	2. On the Other Side

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon ok, so don't rub it in.

Beyond the Shadows – On the Other Side

"Don't look at him, just ignore him.  Just keep your head down."

"Did you say something Myst?"

Misty Waterflower stopped murmuring to herself and looked up into the chocolate-brown eyes of her best friend Ash Ketchum.  Her face was filled with what seemed to be a mixture of both embarrassment and confusion.

"Nothing," she said quickly as she shook her head trying to shake off the blush that had crawled onto her cheeks.  "Just humming to myself," she added.  She bit her lip nervously hoping that her explanation would be enough.

"Girls," he sighed sarcastically.  "One swallow and already they're humming love songs to themselves."

"Two," she corrected sighing inwardly that she wasn't forced to explain herself further.  She curled back into her previous position before resuming her award winning acting job and tried desperately to appear engrossed in her book.

It seemed she had perfected the art, acting that is.  Playing her part perfectly, like he was just another boy and she just an ordinary girl.  She acted like she didn't care when they called each other hurtful names and didn't speak for days after an argument.  She acted like it didn't matter when other girls would flirt mercilessly with him.  She acted like they were just best friends – no more, no less – like she wasn't in love with him, madly, deeply and truly.

Misty looked back on her life and tried to remember when all the lies and acting had began.  She guessed it was about when she turned twelve years old; ever since then she had either been acting or lying and sometimes even both.  Her life was like some kind of makeshift play each lie heading for a new twist as she built on them to make up for all that she lacked.

It had always been easier to lie.  Lies don't hurt, at least not at first, eventually they do just like everything else in this world but until then it's painless.  No one is ever satisfied with the truth even when they ask for it, they don't want to hear that a dress makes them look fat or that their makeup is over done, all they really want to hear is a lie yet they never ask for it.

Our lives are so full of them that the lines between fact and fiction are so distorted that we no longer know the difference and the lies become what we build our lives upon.  Deep down we know that's what they are, we know that their all lie, but then no one really wants to feel like they're deceiving themselves.  So we make up names, little code words to trick our minds into believing them as much as we do – half-truths, non-truths, white lies, and storytelling – they're all just lies that no one wants to admit to.

Misty was good liar.

She had been lying so long that it was practically second nature to her.  Nowadays she just automatically answered any questions that involved herself and Ash with a lie.

Sadly these lies hurt almost as much as the bitter truth.  That no matter how much she cared about Ash, no matter how much she loved him, she would always just be his best friend – like she always said – no more, no less.

Misty quickly moved in her seat so Ash couldn't see her face as tears began to fill her eyes.  She didn't want him to see her cry.  She didn't want to see the sympathy in his eyes, to have him feel sorry for her.  She didn't want to hear him ask her how she felt his voice filled with worry.

But most of all she didn't want to lie.

She did it so often you would think with time she would be used to it.  She could lie to her sisters without even batting an eyelash, but Ash was different from everyone else.  He was Ash.  It was heart wrenching just to think about lying to him and she tried to do it as little as possible.  With everyone else she could trick her mind into believing it was alright but not him.

She didn't want to hear him ask her what was wrong, because she wasn't sure that she had the strength to lie to him this time.

"I'm going up to the room for a lie down," she said her voice slightly more perky than she had intended.  "I'm feeling a little tired," she added turning down the perky vibe she was giving off, "I want to catch up from all those nights sleeping on the forest floor."

"Oh ok," he replied.  He looked as though he wanted to say something else but didn't.

"What's wrong?" she asked turning to him hoping that her face didn't look as bad as she felt.

"Nothing," he said nonchalantly shaking his head and looking down at the ground by her feet.  "Don't worry," he said looking up and smiling for her, "you go rest."

At that precise moment, as he smiled up at her Misty felt as if her heart would explode.  She felt a blush crawling to her cheeks and immediately looked down at the ground so he wouldn't see the small tears of hope welling in the corners of her eyes.

This was why she had fallen in love with him in the first place.  There was this caring side to Ash that he only ever showed to those close to him, true he was just an all round nice guy, but then there were times like this when he would go above and beyond the call of duty.

Not that that was the only reason.

There seemed to be so many that she could barely remember them all at once and each day she just found something else to love.

Misty looked back at him and smiled.  "Thanks," she said before heading to her room.

Misty shut the door and lay down on the bed dreamily.  Ash was the perfect gentlemen, the perfect friend and basically just perfect.  He was flawless, not that she minded, perfection was just fine for her and she couldn't dream of anything less.

But she wasn't perfect.

Misty closed her eyes and fell into relaxing sleep her dreams filled with images of her prince charming finally finding her.

~ to be continued ~

Ok, so yes it's an AAMR but did you really expect any less from me.  I promise some twists in the "plot" ahead so don't write it off straight away because I don't think anyone will expect what comes later on.


	3. Another Point of View

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon though I do claim all rights to stalker chick  and anything that happens in her crazy mixed world where she's in love with . . . opps I've already said too much.

Beyond the Shadows – Another Point of View

Ash smiled to himself as his heart began to flutter away happily from just being in the same vicinity as the girl sitting merely inches away from him on the next couch.  He tried not to watch her, but he couldn't help it, she was breath taking and there was nothing in this world that would ever draw him away from her.  He would be utterly content just to stay like that for the rest of his life.

The fifteen-year-old girl sat cross-legged on her seat engrossed in the book she held in her hand.   Strands of auburn hair fell across her burrowed forehead and half-closed blue green eyes as she murmured softly to herself.  Ash had to do everything in his power just to keep from walking up to her and pushing those few strands away from her face before lightly kissing her forehead.

He would give anything for a chance like that, for the chance to kiss Misty, just once and know nothing would be ruined afterwards.  He would walk through hell and back just to hold her in his arms, even for a millisecond.  If she shed even one tear, there was nothing that he wouldn't do to just to see her smile again.

He would risk everything for Misty to love him, that is, everything but their friendship.  They had been friends so long, she was one of his best friends, quite possibly his best, and that friendship meant more to him than anyone could ever possibly imagine.  He would give up all he had just to know she felt the same, but their friendship was just too important to risk on a maybe.  He couldn't put something so dear to him like that on the line only to find out that she could never feel the same way about him and have it destroyed forever.

It was just too great a risk for him to take.

"Did you say something Myst?" Ash asked as he was suddenly brought out of his trance by the melodic sound of Misty's angelic voice.

She looked up and Ash immediately found himself drawn to the deep blue green pools of her beautiful aquamarine eyes.  It was as if with that one look she had swept him away to a whole other world so faraway that he barely registered anything else around him other than her and she didn't even realize the power of her spell she was unaware of even casting.

"Girls," he sighed sarcastically as he raked his brain for an even moderately witty remark to reply with.  Misty usually had this effect on him, he would get so caught up in her that he was unable to concentrating on anything else whenever she was near, which was probably why they got lost so often.  "One swallow and already they're humming love songs to themselves."

"Two," she corrected quietly before resuming her previous position and returning to her book.

Ash sighed inwardly.  He knew that he could just sit there for eternity just watching her, not caring if she saw him or even if she realized he was there.  The important thing was, that he could see her and that was all that mattered.

She was so beautiful and amazing and just so indescribable that never once did he ever have to doubt why he loved her because every day he knew her only made it clearer.  Every morning he would wake up early, before even the sun had woken up just to see her as the suns rays beamed across her face only making her look more beautiful and angelic than she already did.  He just wanted to make sure she was still there when he woke up so he could just stay there watching her breath and knowing that she was really there, that she wasn't a dream, that she was real.

It was strange how one minute he was laughing at all the corny lines and clichés and next minute he's practically applying them to his life.

But then everything was so different now.

If you told him five years ago that he would be sitting in the Hasselton Pokemon center practically drooling over Misty Waterflower he would have been the first to tell you how wrong you are.  But here he was, secretly watching her as he tried to hide behind a magazine just in case she looked up.

Ash could hardly believe it had been that long, he could still remember the day they met like it was yesterday.  He always knew there was something different about Misty; that she wasn't like anyone else he had ever met.  He guessed the attraction had been there from the start, but then as a ten year old boy he disregarded, tried to focus on something else and pretend the he was thinking about the bike just as much as she was.

Now he knew better.  It was never really about the bike for him.  Maybe at first he just didn't want to be alone, but now . . .

He was so afraid of what might happen if he gave it back now.  There were so many questions, so many 'ifs' and 'maybes'.  What if she was only there for the bike?  What if she thought he didn't want her around anymore?  What if she left for good?  Or maybe the bike was never the issue for her either? 

Or maybe . . .

"I'm going up to the room for a lie down," she said brightly breaking him from his thoughts.

He could tell there was something wrong.  Misty was only ever that perky on two occasions; when she was on a sugar hype and when she was trying to hide something, and he was pretty sure she hadn't had that much sugar.

And the latter meant he had two options.  He tried to look at her face, but she was turned away from him so he couldn't tell.  He wanted to ask her what was wrong, make sure she was all right, but he always had trouble talking to Misty.  His words always got messed up and he always ended up feeling stupid when he said the wrong thing and only made her more upset.

Sometimes it was best just to leave it.

"Oh ok," he replied in a dejected tone.  He wanted to say more but he couldn't, he didn't want to mess things up.

"What's wrong?" she asked turning to face him.

Ash looked up at her.  She was as beautiful as always.  She would even have looked happy if it wasn't for the sadness in her eyes, but he couldn't find the courage to do it.

_'Maybe she is just tired,'_ he reasoned with himself.  _'Or maybe I'm just a big timid jerk who isn't even brave enough to ask a girl who he's known for five years if she's ok.  Sorry excuse for a friend.'_

"Nothing," he said trying to use a nonchalant tone, shaking his head and looking down at the ground by her feet.  "Don't worry," he said looking up and forcing a smile onto his face just for her, "you go rest."

Misty gave him a quick smile then headed upstairs.

_'Good one Ketchum,'_ he told himself.  _'You sure got her swooning.'_

"Why can't I just talk to Misty like other girls?" Ash sighed aloud to himself.

"Because you love her," Brock replied for some reason finding that exact moment to distract himself from Nurse Joy.

"Great timing Brock," Ash muttered.

"Why don't you just get it over with and tell her how you feel?" Brock asked ignoring Ash's last comment.

"We've been through this before Brock," Ash told him exasperatedly.  "Misty means too much to me and I don't want to put our friendship on the line like that.  I don't want to loose her.  I could never forgive myself if anything happened to her."

"Ash do you want to regret this for the rest of your life?" Brock asked.

"I'd rather have regret than not have Misty at all," Ash replied.  "Its simple as that."

Brock sighed.  "I try to help him, but does he listen no," he rambled exasperatedly as he walked away.  "Doesn't he realize . . ." Brock trailed off as he spotted Officer Jenny walk by.  "Ooo, Officer Jenny, you can lock me up any day," he said dreamily as he followed behind her his feet barely touching the ground.

"Ever heard of monogamy," Ash called after him.

"The colour of Officer Jenny's hair," Brock signed contently.

(A/N: Monogamy means to only be with one person at a time for those of you who have never heard of it and just thought I had really bad spell check.  Don't worry I thought it was a colour too)

"So much for that," Ash sighed jokingly to himself.

Brock's Diary 

(A/N: I didn't want to leave Brock out so I had to do this, plus it should be kind of funny)

ODE to JOY 

_How soft her touch_

_How sweet her lips_

_My only wish_

_To steal a kiss_

_Her open arms_

_Her loving eyes_

_If only she _

_Could be all mine_

_Her heart so pure_

_Her smile so coy_

_My sweet true love_

_She is Nurse Joy_

~ to be continued ~

Did you enjoy?  I know that last part was weird but I wanted to make this a bit longer.  I am, however, thinking about making it a regular thing; extracts from the Book of Brock.

Please review and let me know if I should continue just so that Brock doesn't feel left out seeing as it's his first mention in the story and I'm pretty sure he'll be pretty scarce throughout the rest of it.


	4. Letting The Past Catch Up

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon

Beyond the Shadows – Letting the Past Catch Up

_She screamed._

_The other girl stood towering before her.  Her name was Kirsten, and she was her 'superior' as she liked to put it by 2 years._

_Kirsten held an ugly violet blouse at her side as she glared angrily at her and even uglier smirk dancing across her perfect face.  She slapped her again smiling at the sound of her sister's scream on the impact._

_A large bruise had already started to form on her face where she had been hit; her body was covered with scratches and scars that were yet to heal.  But nobody was suspicious of how they appeared; they all decided she was just a clumsy girl.  Who would have guessed that her sixteen-year-old sister was abusing her?_

_"This is mine," Kirsten yelled angrily at her._

_"I didn't touch," she begged.  "I swear Kirsten, it wasn't me."_

_Kirsten knew she was telling the truth; sometimes she just liked to see her squirm under her fiery glare.  Other times she just liked to justify her reasons, that's just who Kirsten was._

_Kirsten smiled evilly as she kicked her sister in the face.  This was fun to her.  She lived on peoples fear; she lived on her sister's fear as she watched her cower in the corner.  She lapped it up like it was a drug never satisfied with just one taste._

_She wanted to run, to find help, but then she could never desert Michael.  He was so young, he had so many dreams, and she couldn't let him suffer the same way she did.  So she set herself up to take his place any time Kirsten looked in the mood._

_Even if she did run, whom would she turn to?  The police wouldn't believe her, she'd already tried and they just laughed, who would believe that perfect Kirsten Taylor would do such a thing?  She couldn't go to her dad, he loved Kirsten more than any of them, he would justify it, blame it on her.  Her mother wasn't any better, constantly on drugs, mildly aware of the world about her; she was the daughter they never wanted._

_There wasn't anywhere to go, so she put up with it.  She let Kirsten have her way, never complained to anyone, made up excuse for every new bruise telling her friends that she'd walked into the doorframe.  But then at least this way Michael was safe and that was better than nothing._

_"Look at me while I'm talking to you," Kirsten yelled at her jagging her from her thoughts with yet another slap to the face._

_"Kirsten, I'm sorry," she pleaded begging for mercy._

_"Not as sorry as I am," Kirsten smiled evilly as she kicked her in the stomach._

_She gasped and bit down on her lip drawing blood.  She wasn't going to give Kirsten the satisfaction of seeing her cry; she wasn't going to scream and no matter what she wasn't going to look away.  She was going to prove that she could be strong._

She woke up with a startle.

She hated her memories.  She hated her nightmares haunted by pictures of Kirsten, of her drunken father after a bad night of poker, her mother and all her pills trying to drown her in a bathtub.

It was no wonder that she choose to live in her strange fantasy where she was in love with someone she could never have, someone who was in love with someone else.

Her mind strayed to Michael, the only good memory she had left.

Michael was eight years old when she left, that was two years ago.  She had a clear picture in her mind of the one good thing she had left behind as she slammed the door to her childhood home.  But then you couldn't really call it home, could you?  A home was a place full of laughter, smiles even a few occasional tears, not screams of hatred and fear.  A home was the one place where you would never be afraid, a shelter from the world outside, somewhere you could hide when you got scared.  A home wasn't supposed to trap, supposed to keep you from the world outside, you weren't supposed to be afraid to be.  So it was really just a house where she slept and ate which held her one happy memory.

He had the most beautiful hazel green eyes she had ever seen, easily surpassing her own dulled green.  He had dirty blonde hair that she used to ruffle up every chance she got.  He was cute and tanned and she knew that he was going to be heartbreaker.

She closed her eyes and recalled his smile.  It was her favorite memory.  She liked the way a dimple appeared in his left cheek and how his eyes lit up like emeralds whenever he smiled.

He had wanted to be a Pokemon master, he wanted to get away from them as soon as he could and if that meant he had to wait till he was ten then he had to wait.  That was the reason that she had held on for so long.  She was going to wait until he was ten, go with him and then she would have known that he was safe right now.

Her greatest fear was that he was trapped inside with those people.  She didn't fear that he was alone on the road, she hoped against hope that he was, she was afraid that he was with them and that he would never escape.

She cried as she thought about Michael, hoping he was safe.  An Abra, her most trusted friend and companion, jumped onto her lap to comfort her.

"You're my only true friend," she told the Pokemon gently.  "You're the only one who cares, the only one who matters."

The Pokemon curled itself up in her arms as she stroked it softly.

She sighed trying to force her thoughts on to him, trying to make her heart believe in something.

It wasn't that hard.  Her heart and her mind both wanted so much to believe, to believe in something and love seemed the obvious choice.  If you can't even believe in love, what else is there to believe in?  She knew the answer was nothing.  She didn't believe in herself, so she chose to believe in him instead.  It made it all more bearable.

Love helped a lot.  It let her feel happy even if it only lasted for a little while.  It let her slip back into her fantasy and let her find a happily ever after even if it was just a fairytale.

She sighed and let herself fall back to sleep hoping this time that the only thing haunting her dreams would be his smiling face.

~ to be continued ~

So, what do you all think?  I know by now you're probably all getting sick of the quote at the top but its all just part of it like the songs in the other one, its my favorite quote at the moment.

Please Review


	5. Unrequited Love

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, happy now?  Now please just go read my story while I try convince myself that there's nothing wrong with not owning Pokemon.

Beyond the Shadows – Unrequited Love

"C'mon Myst," Ash called to her from the other side of the door.

"Just one more second," she called back as she tried to decide how to do her hair.  She decided to let it down remembering how Ash had once told her she looked pretty with her hair down.

_'What would I do without you?'_ she asked him silently with a content sigh.  She pulled a brush through her hair one last time then opened the door.

"Done," she said.

For a brief moment all they could do was just stare at each other.  Ash was taken aback by her beauty, not that that was an unusual occurrence, but Misty hardly ever wore her hair down.

"So you're ready?" Ash asked when he finally found his voice.  He cursed himself on the inside for asking such a stupid question.

Misty, thinking that he was trying to be smart, just glared at him.  She didn't realize he was just trying to break the silence even though he didn't want to ruin such a perfect moment.

"Well for that I may just make you wait an extra five minutes," she said defiantly.

"Misty I didn't mean it like that . . ." he started.  Talking always seemed to ruin things for him because he always ended up saying stupid things and just making Misty angry.

"Don't worry," Misty said putting on a smile.  "I was just joking, I know how much this match means to you.  Just let me grab my things."

Ash sighed with relief.

Misty smiled to herself as she headed to get her red knapsack from the bed.  She loved when Ash called her Myst but when he called her Misty she always felt like he was trying to protect her from something.  He only ever called her Misty when he was worried or when he thought she was angry with him.

"Ready," she said pulling the knapsack over shoulder and cradling Togepei in her arms as she walked back towards the door.

"Great," Ash said enthusiastically grabbing her free hand and tugging her down the stairs to where Brock was waiting.  Ash tried not to react to the electric spark that passed through him as their hands touched but he couldn't help pausing for a second.  It was an amazing feeling, one of bliss and he never wanted to loose that feeling.

As they got to the entrance Brock looked at them and smiled.

Ash looked down to where his and Misty's fingers were entwined together.  He blushed and let go of her hand despite the fact that all he wanted to do was leave it there forever.  Both sighed as the feeling that had held them together disappeared replaced by a sadness that told them the other would never feel the same.

"Why so down?" Brock asked them both with a knowing smile.  Neither answered.  "Well I guess we better go," he said.  "Goodbye Nurse Joy." 

"Oh," she said from behind the desk with an unsure smile.  Most of them were afraid of the young boys misplaced affections, those that weren't hadn't met him.  "Goodbye," she said hoping she wouldn't have to resort to a restraining order like the Vermilion City Nurse Joy.

The three of them, five if you included Togepei and Pikachu, walked out the door of the Pokemon center carrying everything they had with them as they headed for the Hazelton gym to earn the kowhai (A/N: Maori for yellow) badge.

The kowhai badge was supposed to be one of the most intricate and beautiful badges in any of the many leagues.  It seemed to be made of amber and incrusted with a beautiful gold flower said to be the source of its name.  It was also said to be one of the hardest badges to get, but Ash was ready for anything that could be thrown at him.

"Good luck," Brock said as they got to the gym entrance.

Ash and Misty turned to him with confused stares.

"Aren't you coming in?" Ash asked.

"Sorry," Brock shrugged.  "I've got something important I've got to do."

Ash and Misty both got the feeling that Brock had intentionally planned things this way but kept their mouths shut.

Ash was upset that Brock wasn't going to be there, but then he still had Misty and there wasn't a battle yet which he had won without her.  He felt as though she was his lucky charm and he couldn't win without her at his side or in the crowd cheering.

"Don't worry Ash," Brock said, "you've still got Misty." He shot both of them the sort of look that made them blush with embarrassment.

Ash felt as if Brock had read his mind, or maybe it was really that obvious.  Most people hinted at it, it seemed sometimes that Misty was the only one that didn't already know how he felt about her.

Ash tried to look disappointed for both Brock and Misty's benefits, but it was hard not to be excited knowing that he was going into battle and that he would still have Misty there by his side.

"See yah guys," Brock said flashing them both a knowing smile.  "Good luck, and remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do."  With that Brock ran off before either of them had the chance to comment.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Misty asked playing dumb.  

She knew exactly what Brock meant, she only hoped Ash didn't know.  She wasn't sure who it was aimed at but she presumed Brock meant her because it wasn't like Ash even thought about her in that sort of way, he may be fifteen next month but Ash never really struck her as anything but an oversized five year old.

Ash shrugged and pulled his hat down a little further and his collar up in an effort to hide the blush that was creeping onto his cheeks.

"I don't know," he said, "but I'm having trouble trying to figure out what exactly it is that Brock wouldn't do."

Misty chuckled and resisted the urge to reply 'small animals and children'.  (A/N: the truth – I chuckled and resisted the urge to make Misty say small animals and children)  

Misty smiled at Ash and looked towards the gym.  "You ready?" she asked.

"Ready as I'll ever be," he sighed.

"Good enough for me," she said tugging him through the door.

(A/N: I totally suck at battle scenes so I'm just going to skip to the end of the match)

Ash held his breath as he waited for the swirl of smoke to clear.  He could make out a silhouette put it was so faint and unclear he couldn't tell whether it was Pikachu or the gym leaders powerful ghost Pokemon.

The smoke cleared a little more he could make out a pair of pointed ears and a long tail shaped like a bolt of lightening.  And as the smoke finally disappeared you could finally see the small yellow mouse like Pokemon standing weakly over the large ghost Pokemon that lay on the ground.  

The people around him gasped seeing the gym leader defeated.

"Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town is the winner," someone announced.

Misty ran to his side and wrapped her arms around his neck.  

"You did it Ash," she cried out joyfully.

"I did it," he smiled back at her hardly believing the news himself.  He wrapped his arms around her waist almost subconsciously as if his body was out of his control and hugged her back.

Misty pulled back slightly so she could look him in the eyes.  She loved his eyes.  She loved the way the smooth chocolate colour of his eyes would draw her in.  And the way that he always seemed to be searching as if he was looking for something in her and that he could see all her secrets of love for him.

She loved the way he held her against him, as if there was nothing that could tear them apart.  And she loved the way his warm breath felt against her skin as their faces moved closer.  She loved the sweet caress of his touch as he drew her closer to him until there was only a tiny millimeter left between them and in only a matter of seconds there would be . . .

"Pika pi," the Pokemon called running into Ash's arms despite its weakness.

Ash and Misty immediately pulled away from each other and blushed furiously at the sound of the Pokemon's voice.  

Misty stared at the ground not wanting to meet anyone's eye, especially not Ash's.  They had been so close, they almost kissed, and she had never wanted anything as much as she had wanted to kiss him as he held her in his arms right then.

Maybe that was why she felt like a small part of her died as he pulled away.  It was only the size of her fist, but it was enough to bring small tears to the corners of her eyes.  She suddenly felt as though she couldn't live without him.

Ash picked up Pikachu in his arms trying to stop thinking about Misty, even for a second and concentrating on congratulating his Pokemon on a great battle.

"You did great little buddy," Ash smiled stroking its head.

"Chaa," it smiled happily.

"I must say," the gym leader said striding towards Ash and handing him the kowhai badge.  "That was an amazing battle.  You are an excellent trainer.  I hope we battle again someday."

"Thank you," Ash said modestly looking down at the kowhai badge.  It was a beautiful and as intricate as people said it was.  He almost felt like giving it to Misty, he knew she would love it.  It was a shame that he would have to hand it over to the league when he entered the competition in about 6 months.

"You're the first trainer to win this badge in two years," the gym leader continued smiling at Ash proudly.  "You deserved it young man."

Ash blushed with embarrassment.  "Thank you," he said again not trusting his voice to say anything else.

The gym leader nodded towards Misty and smiled.  "Don't let her slip away," the older man warned.  "She'll wait forever, longer if she has to, but what happens when forever's come and gone?"

Ash sighed as the gym leader walked away.  Yet another perfect strange giving him advice on his life, Misty's too.

"What did he say?" Misty said quietly from behind him still looking at the ground not daring to meet his eyes.

Ash put on a smile even though he was sure Misty wasn't going to look up anytime soon.  "He was just telling me how I was the first person to win the badge in two years."

"You did great Ash," she said with a little more conviction in her quiet voice than before, "but I think we should get out of here before that oversized head of yours gets any bigger."

"I resent that," he said swatting at her playfully.

"Does that mean you're not coming?" she asked.  "Cause I was going to treat you to some hamburgers."  She began walking out the door, Pikachu on her shoulder, Togepei almost asleep in her arms.

"I didn't say no," Ash replied, "I just said I resented it."  He chased after them hoping Misty wasn't planning on not feeding him too.

As he caught up to her he changed his speed to a slow steady walk.  He tried to make his movements seem relaxed and normal not as edgy and anxious as they felt.  His hand brushed against hers now and then sending shivers of pleasure up and down his spine and make a blush tingle on his cheeks.

As they sat down to eat he thought about the kiss they had almost shared.  God, how he wanted to kiss her.  He felt this longing deep inside of him.  He wanted to kiss her, even if it was just for a second.  He needed to kiss her, he felt as though he would die if he didn't.

But then he couldn't risk it, could he?  He couldn't risk that she might not want to kiss him.  He couldn't risk hurting her.  He couldn't risk losing her.

_'But she didn't pull away,'_ his mind told him a hint of hopefulness to the voice inside of his head.  It was true she hadn't pulled away, she hadn't struggled to free herself from his embrace and she was still here, she hadn't run away from him yet.

Maybe, just maybe, she wanted to kiss him too.  And maybe his wasn't the only heart that longed for their best friend.

And maybe love isn't quite as unrequited as he thought.

~ to be continued ~

Well now that I'm done, what did y'all think?  Good?  Bad?  The biggest load of shit you've read in a long time?  Oh well it can't really be that bad if you're reading this.

Please Review.


	6. Complicated

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon.

Beyond the Shadows – Complicated

"What are you thinking about?" Misty asked from across the table.

She was confused and it was adamant on her face.  There were only two main causes for her confusion, but they were enough.

Firstly there was the almost kiss, at least she was pretty sure it was an almost kiss.  Her guess was as good as anyone else's.  she had never really been kissed or kissed anyone before, she wanted it to be someone she really cared for and love, she wanted it to be Ash.

Secondly there was the way Ash was eating.  She had known the boy for about five years and she didn't think she had ever seen him eat nearly so slow.  He usually breathed his food in taking it in faster than she had ever thought was humanly possible.  He loved hamburgers and he'd barely even touched the thing.

"Nothing," Ash said shaking his head.  

She wasn't sure if it was to shake the thoughts away or to prove to her that it didn't matter.  She decided not to press for more details, if it was really important he would tell her.

"So Ash," she said waiting for him to look up.

"Hmm," he said still not looking up.

Sure she didn't want him to meet her eye, she was too afraid of what she might see, regret maybe, hate, loathing, friendship?  But she was even more afraid of what he might see in hers, the love, the adoration and most of all her heart.

She knew something was wrong, even if he wasn't telling her so she decided it was her job to try and cheer him up, like karma, getting him back for all the times he had done the same.

"What does it feel like to be the first challenger to win the kowhai badge in two years?" she asked holding the saltshaker out to him like a microphone.  She did her best impression of Andréa Summers the annoying news report who always rubbed people up the wrong way and getting in peoples faces which warranted a small smile from Ash's direction.

"Good, I guess," he shrugged looking up for a second.

"Gee, Ash you could be a little less enthusiastic," she muttered sarcastically placing the saltshaker back on the table.  "I haven't seen you this excited since your mom made us sit and watch paint dry for three hours."

Ash let out a light chuckle and put on a smile.  She knew it was for her benefit, she could see it in his eyes that it wasn't all there, but she wasn't complaining.  The laugh was real and at least now he was making the effort to at least look happy.

"That sure was a fun day," he joked.  "Why'd she make us do that again?"

"Because," she told him, "somebody decided to redecorate the lounge with a lifelike drawing of himself then dragged me along with him when she found out."

"Are you trying to say that I don't look like superman?" he asked his smile not quite so forced.

"Of course not," she replied.  "I'm saying that you have a better likeness to the blob and that you should leave the art-type stuff up to Tracey."

"All righty then," he said.  "As long as you're not saying that I don't look like superman I'm happy."

Misty sighed exasperatedly trying to look annoyed or infuriated, she wasn't sure which she just knew that the smile plastered on her face was making her look much like either.

It was impossible not to smile when she was around Ash.  He just had this way about him that would bring a smile to her face no matter what.

_'Maybe he's thinking about it too,' _she thought to herself almost immediately shaking her head.  She couldn't quite convince herself to believe that Ash could ever feel the same.  _'Its so complicated,'_ she thought quoting the lines of one of her favorite songs in her head.  _'I'm so frustrated.  I wish I could confess but think of what I'd be losing if his answer wasn't yes.'_

It all reminded her of a story her sisters had sent her.  Part of her tried to be rational told her that it was only her superstitious sisters trying to banish the years of bad luck in love and find their one true love as the letter promised.  The rest of her got the feeling that her sisters were trying to hint at something.

It was a sweet story about a guy who was in love with his best friend his entire life but never told her.  He watched her fall in love, watched her dreams come true, even watched her get married but never said a word.  Then when she died someone read something from her journal, it was about him and shared the very same thoughts he had hidden all their lives.

_'But then Ash could never feel that way about me,'_ she reasoned with herself, _'that would just be crazy.  I mean I'm not even sure why he would fall in love with me.  I'm stupid and ugly and mean and critical and superficial and bitchy and annoying and . . .'_

"Are you going to finish them Myst?" Ash asked jarring her from her thoughts.

"Have them," Misty replied answering the real question between the lines.

She smiled as she watched him take the plate of chips and cover them with ketchup.

"And people wonder where Pikachu gets his ketchup addiction from," Misty teased.

"Its not a ketchup addiction until you ask for chips with your ketchup," Ash said throwing a few small ketchup soaked chips into his mouth.  "Now tell me," he said after swallowing his food, "has Pikachu ever asked for chips?  I think not."

Misty let out a laugh.  "Touché," she said drawing back as though stabbed by a sword.

It was silent for a while after that, the only sounds were those around them and Ash noisily chewing his chips.

"So," Misty said as she picked up one of the unketchuped chips from the plate and waving it about animatedly before sticking it in her mouth, "where do you think Brock got to?"

Ash shrugged.  He'd completely forgotten about Brock in his battle for the kowhai badge and with everything else that was going on in his head he didn't think there was any room for queries about Brock's whereabouts.  Actually he was positive of it, his mind was still struggling to understand Misty's words and to get his mouth to work.

"I guess he just thought the match would last longer than it did," he replied.

"I guess," Misty said.

She didn't really care where Brock was, she knew he'd catch up to them eventually, she had only really said it because she felt the need to break the silence between herself and Ash.

But she knew the real reasons Brock wasn't there.  Because she'd asked him not to.  She hadn't told him not to go to the match, she wasn't cruel, she knew Ash wanted both his best friends by his side in one of the toughest matches he would encounter before the league, she'd simply asked him to give her and Ash a little time alone afterwards so she could tell him.

And she had planned on telling him, but then that was before what happened after the match and already it was too complicated for her to comprehend without throwing an 'I love you' in there for good measure.

She wanted to tell him, she wanted to every moment she was near him, every time he said her name, every time he was sad, every time he was happy, she just wanted him to know everything she felt deep inside and for him to feel the same.  But she couldn't tell him, something inside her just wouldn't let her.

Maybe it was he fear of getting hurt or maybe it was just her head trying to be rational as always, trying to convince her that it was nothing more than a chemical reaction within her body and nothing else.  

It wasn't doing a very good job.

~ to be continued ~

So what'd you think? Anyway I know a lot of it was just rambling about the *almost* kiss because Misty is one of those obsessive, compolsive people who have to take things apart and can't leave them alone, she's a type six personality just like me.  No wait, I think it's because I'm one of those obsessive compulsive people who have to take things apart and when they can't get them back together they destroy the evidence.  I'm also a compulsive liar who shows deviant if not criminal behaviour.

Anyway please review we number sixes like to be complimented on our work.


	7. Between Head And Heart

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, only stalker chick and her family and this Pokemon I decided to make up cause I can't use Mewtwo.

Beyond the Shadows – Between Head and Heart

"You," he wanted to tell her, to yell to the world.  

To tell her that he thought about nothing else every second, every minute, everyday of his life.  To tell her that she was always on his mind, her name upon his lips, that she was all he ever dreamed of.  To tell her he loved her, that all he wanted to do was just reach out and kiss her.

But he didn't.  

He wasn't that brave.

_'How typical,'_ Ash thought to himself.  _'You save the world a couple of times, think that's what makes you brave and that your suddenly some kind of big mucho hero and then wow, you can't even tell a girl you've known since you were ten years old that you love her.'_

Ash sighed and shook his head at himself as he thought about everything that had happened that day.  

He was alone right now, by himself in their room in the Pokemon Center while Misty and Brock were downstairs watching TV.  It seemed that thinking was all he could really muster right now still too confused about everything.

"Nothing," he muttered to himself scorning at his response.  

He knew Misty probably felt upset that he wouldn't tell her what was wrong.  He could usually talk to Misty about anything, tell her anything and she would listen to him, she wouldn't pretend she would sit there not interrupting until he was done.  

He wanted to tell her this, he wanted to so badly that he could almost feel the words burning on his tongue struggling to escape, but he couldn't.  He couldn't tell her that he loved her, couldn't tell her anything he felt for her because he just couldn't risk the fact that she might not feel the same.

So he didn't risk it, he lived life as normal, like it was before he fell in love with her.  He pretended she was just his best friend that he wasn't in love with her madly, truly and deeply.  He pretended that he didn't spend all his time thinking about her, he pretended that he wasn't secretly stealing glances in her direction from the corner of his eye and pretending that he didn't see her look back even if it was just that one time.

It all seemed so long ago, like a distant memory he didn't bother to recall, the time before he fell in love with Misty Kasumi Waterflower.  He almost presumed that he was always in love with her, that it was his purpose, his reason in life just to love her.

"Nothing," he scorned again angry at himself because of the small chance that Misty might be angry at him.

Right then Ash just gave up on thinking.  It only made him feel worse about the whole situation between him and Misty.  He began to head downstairs hoping there was still room on the couch for one more person.

"You coming Pikachu?" Ash asked as he turned to his life long companion.

"Pika," the yellow mouse Pokemon replied with a nod following Ash's lead.

Ash stopped suddenly part way down the steps when he heard Misty's familiar voice.  It sounded different than usual, not quite so confident, she almost sounded afraid, unsure of herself and sad.

_'Please don't be my fault,'_ he thought sadly.  He hated Misty being sad, it always made him feel as though his own heart were breaking in two just to watch her cry, it was even worse to think it was his fault.

"So how did things go today?" Brock asked her.

"Ash won," Misty replied her voice sounding slightly happier.

"You know that's not what I meant," Brock asked.

"I didn't do it," she replied.  Brock sighed disappointedly.  "Look there was just too much to think about right then without adding _that_ to the mix."

"Hey guys," Ash said suddenly bounding down the rest of the stairs saving Misty from whatever Brock was planning to say.

Misty blushed and looked anywhere but Ash's face.

Brock sighed again as he looked between the two then back to the TV.  "I thought you were sleeping?" Brock asked.

"I was going to but I just couldn't," Ash replied scratching the back of his head like he often did when he was embarrassed or nervous.  "I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought."

"Yeah right," Brock muttered rolling his eyes.  It seemed that Brock was the only one that had all the pieces of the puzzle in place and he often felt like he was playing mediator between Ash and Misty trying to convince them that the other felt the same.

"So what are we watching?" Ash asked as he sat down next to Misty.

"Well we were watching 'Ten Things I Hate About You' but that was before and now I'm out numbered," Misty sighed.  "Go on change it to your stupid action movie."

"Actually I don't mind this," Brock said that goofy look returning to his face.  "You know that Bianca chick is kind of cute."

"Ewww, her?" Misty asked.  "She's a bitch.  Oh forget it, let's just watch the movie."

They sat there watching the scenes go by with ease.  It was the second to last scent that really got to Ash though, the one where she read her poem out loud to the class.

_I hate the way you talk to me_

_And the way you cut your hair_

_I hate the way you drive your car_

_I hate it when you stare_

_I hare your big dumb combat boots_

_And the way you read my mind_

_I hate you do much it makes me sick_

_It even makes me rhyme_

_I hare the way you're always right_

_I hare it when you lie_

_I hate it when you make me laugh _

_And even worse when you make me cry_

_I hate it that you're not around_

_And the fact that you didn't call_

_But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you_

_Not even close_

_Not even a little bit_

_Not even at all_

He turned towards Misty as she let out a small gasp and watched tears well in the corners of her eyes.  It was a rarity to watch Misty cry.  She mouthed the words to the poem her lips moving in time with Kat's as if it were she reading the poem.

Brock looked away from the screen and turned in their direction, chuckling to him self at the way Misty and Ash had responded to the movie.  

Ash wore a thoughtful expression pondering the words of the poem and trying to convince himself that they held no significance to Misty, that she was just one of those people that cried at movies.  Heck, she'd cried in 'The Lion King' (A/N : That is such a sad movie) what connection did Misty feel between herself and a bunch of talking lions that held any significance?

Misty's eyes were filled with tears, but she wouldn't let them fall, she couldn't let them fall.  She wouldn't let them see her this weak, she wouldn't let her walls fall down and she would keep up the deception of strength that surrounded her.

Brock chuckled and sighed.  "You know sometime you guys are just too perfect for each other," he said.  

Misty and Ash looked at each other for a second their eyes meeting and a spark flowing through where their bodies touched.  They quickly turned away and moved as far from each other as possible on the tiny couch.

Brock sighed again.  "Too bad you're the only ones that don't notice it," he added regretfully shaking his head as he got up, turned off the TV and left the two alone.

Ash laughed nervously as he watched his older companion leave.  "That Brock," he said his hand behind his head yet again, "he sure does say the strangest things sometimes."

"Yeah, I guess," Misty agreed quietly her mind seemingly elsewhere.

Ash risked a glance in her direction, one that wasn't out of the corner of his eye.  He noticed that though the movie was over the tears that had appeared in the corners of her eyes hadn't left.

"Are you ok Myst?" he asked reaching his hand out and placing it on top of hers.

Misty stared down at their hands, she wouldn't dare look up to meet his eyes; she just didn't think she was strong enough not to cry right now.  But she couldn't cry and no matter what she wouldn't.

She nodded her head and forced a smile onto her face as she blinked back her tears.

"Just thinking about the movie still," she told him.

Ash let out a sigh of relief.  He hated to see Misty sad and to know she wasn't he felt as though a huge weight had just been lifted off his heart.

"Good night Ash," she said standing up.  As if on instinct she leant forward and gently kissed Ash's forehead before she left the room.

Ash blinked and stared blankly ahead while his mind still tried to comprehend her actions.

_'Oh my gosh I can't believe I did that,'_ Misty cringed to herself as she walked into their room.

_'oh shit,'_ Ash thought as he still sat alone down stairs in front of a blank TV screen.  _'Misty is going to be so angry in the morning.'_

~ to be continued ~

I can't believe I accidently deleted this chapter.  It seems I got a bit ahead of myself and thought I had already posted it or something.  

Thanks for reading and please review, it's the only way I know to continue or not.


	8. Where For Out Thou Brock?

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon. 

Thank you all so much for all the reviews *sob* I didn't realise you cared.  And to Nova S I'm not sure you realised it but you won my "competition" to do with Reasons of the Heart, an early edition of the 'what if?' chapter so if you actually want it leave your email address in the review and I'll send it to you.

Beyond the Shadows – Where For Out Thou . . . Brock?

"Good luck," Brock said as they got to the gym entrance.

Ash and Misty turned to him with confused stares.

"Aren't you coming in?" Ash asked.

"Sorry," Brock shrugged.  "I've got something important I've got to do," he lied. 

Brock resisted the urge to smile smugly as he saw his plan take shape.  He couldn't help but feel proud of himself.  Misty had asked him to give her a little quality time with Ash so she could tell him and I'm sure you wouldn't be the least bit surprised to find Ash had asked the same.

"Don't worry Ash," Brock said, "you've still got Misty." He shot both of them the sort of look that made them blush with embarrassment.

Brock held back the smug smile that tugged at his lips as he saw through Ash's suede disappointed act, which he knew, was more for Misty's benefit than his.  He knew that it was hard for Ash to even act disappointed with Misty at his side.  Especially knowing that he would have her all to himself for the rest of the day.

"See yah guys," Brock said flashing them both a knowing smile.  "Good luck, and remember, don't do anything I wouldn't do."

He finally let them see the smug smile he had been holding back pleased at the stunned, embarrassed and slightly angry (just plain old angry in Misty's case) looks that crossed their faces.  He quickly ran off before either of them could comment.

"What was that supposed to mean?" Misty asked playing dumb.

"You know exactly what I mean," he muttered quietly waiting to hear Ash's response.

He could already picture the blush crawling up both their cheeks as the stole glances from the corner of their eyes too busy trying to control or hide their own reddening cheeks to notice the others.

"I don't know," he said, "but I'm having trouble trying to figure out what exactly it is that Brock wouldn't do."

Brock chuckled at the response then went on his way knowing that Ash's Pikachu would fill him in on all the juicy details of the day when he got back to the Pokemon centre, but until then he had about six hours to burn if the two played their cards right.

He couldn't wait to find out what his two companions would get up to while he was out of the way, he just hoped that it was rated PG 13.  Hopefully they would both face their fears and tell the truth for once, though he highly doubted it.

"What to do? What to do?" he asked as he walked the streets of Hazelton looking for something that would hold his attention for more than five minutes.

He decided to have a walk through Hazelton's park hoping it would waste a few minutes of his time.

He walked aimlessly through the Hazelton Reserve looking up at the sky as he waited for something to just appear, anything so he wouldn't have to continue this aimless walk for much longer.

He was just one of those people who couldn't stand to do absolutely nothing and this was really getting to his nerves.  He wasn't sure if he could last for much longer.

"C'mon," he muttered still looking to the sky as if pleading to some great god of leisurely activities, "there has to be something in this town for a guy to do.  It's got the rarest and mostly highly sought after badge in the league and nothing to do what so ever."  He shook his head disappointedly.

Suddenly he felt himself connect with a solid object.

He looked down to find a girl on the ground below gathering up a bunch of books.  He knelt down to help her being the gentlemen he was and the fact that she was a girl.

Their hands touched and Brock felt something he had never felt before.  He felt a spark race through his body, like a current of electricity, which he didn't think he would be able to explain in words if asked.

_'This is what they're talking about,'_ Brock thought to himself.  It had to be, he wasn't as naïve and girl crazed as they all thought.  He knew that he had never been in love, that he had never really felt anything for them except awe for their physical beauty.  He had never cared much for what lay beneath the skin but this was different.

She looked up.

He knew she had felt it to.  He couldn't forget the feeling that had taken over him and he couldn't deny that there was something there that he had never experience before.  He knew she couldn't either.

He was taken a back by her beauty.  But then he thought all girls were beautiful.  It seemed the only girls that hadn't fallen for was Jesse from Team Rocker and Misty who was understandably off limits whether he felt anything or not.

She had green eyes and dark mahogany hair that cascaded over her shoulders.  She had creamy skin and red lips set into her perfect face.  She wore a long-sleeved violet off shoulder top over a pair of hip hugger jeans.

Sure she was beautiful, to Brock she was by far the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but there was something else there.  Something drew him towards her, pulling him closer to her, making him want her more than he had ever wanted anything in his life before.

He wanted to know everything about her, who she was, where she was from why she had been sent down from heaven.  He felt as though he was in the presence of some kind of earth angel/

He felt everything that Ash and Misty had described to him in lengthy conversations late at night while the other was asleep or collecting firewood or something along those lines.

Every so often he would have to remind himself to breathe and his breath would catch taken in a quick burst afraid that any movement or sound would wake him from what seemed to be some incomprehensible dream.  His legs felt as though they had turned to jelly and as they both stood holding the books he felt the needed something to hold onto or he would fall.  His heart was beating so loud he could hear it pounding in his ears; he was so afraid that she might hear it too.

He felt as though he could just fly, but then he couldn't.  He couldn't fly away without her.  He felt as though she was the only thing keeping him there and if she was gone he would just die.

It was exactly what they described.  He had forgotten how to how to speak as he just stood there staring into her green eyes.  He felt scared and excited and all these feelings which he could hardly begin to explain or understand all at once.  All he knew was that she was the source of it all.

"Sorry," she said, the first to break the silence between them.

_'Say something,'_ his mind screamed at him, _'and don't screw it up this time Romeo.'_

"N-no, i-it's ok," he stuttered nervously gulping back the lump in his throat and feeling as though his tongue was the size of a Snorlax.

_'Good one,'_ his mind sneered.  _'Good one Romeo, woo her with your grasp of the English language and how very articulate you are.'_

_'Shut up,'_ he retorted.  _'Like you could do better.'_

He had never felt so nervous in his entire life.  Usually when he saw a pretty girl he was immediately taken over by girl crazy, hormonally charged teen mode and consciousness and sense, common or otherwise went straight out the window.  This was different, it was as if he was finally looking past the physical exterior for the first time and he wanted to know everything about her.

His mind drew a blank as it searched for some kind of cheesy line that would at least break the ice.  He was so scared to speak, he didn't know what to say and he didn't want to chase her away.  She meant more to him than anything ever before.

Brock blushed and looked away from her gaze down at the books in his arms.

"So you like fantasy books?" he said looking up for a second.

"I guess so," she said looking down shyly.  "Sometimes you just need to get away from reality," she sighed.

"I get that," Brock replied.  "I'm Brock Slate," he said moving the books slightly so he could hold them with one hand before offering her his freehand.

She did the same, adjusting her hold on the books before taking his hand in hers.  "I'm Garnet Pebble."

"That's a beautiful name," Brock commented surprised to find him self staying calm and sophisticated rather than the hormonal charged embarrassment he usually was.  Misty would have been proud of him if she hadn't been too busy almost making out with Ash right now.

Garnet blushed.  "Thank you Brock," she smiled looking up to meet his eyes as she said his name.  

Brock had never heard a more beautiful sound than his name rolling off her perfect lips.  

"It's my favourite stone," she added playing with a silver chain with a pendant hanging around her neck.

Brock smiled to himself as they began to walk together through the reserve.  There was silence between them but it didn't seem awkward and he didn't feel the need to fill it.  They just seemed so perfect, as though they didn't need words and nothing needed to be said.

"Where are you . . ." they both started at the same time.  They both laughed.

"You go first," Brock insisted.

"No you," she replied.

Brock smiled.  "I was just going to ask you where you are from," he said slightly shyly.

Garnet smiled too.  "I was actually going to ask you the same thing," she told him.  "I'm from a place in Kanto called Pewter."

"Really?" Brock asked.  "That's where I'm from, I'm actually the gym leader."

"No way?" she asked.  "I though you looked familiar.  Me and my friend Rochelle used to have the biggest crush on you in Grade school."  She giggled at the thought but blushed as she realized what she had said.

"I remember now," Brock smiled.  "Your friends were Rochelle Thompson and Elizabeth Arnold, right?"  Garnet nodded.  "Yes, you always wore your hair in braids with blue ribbons."

"You have a very good memory," Garnet told him.  "It all seems like a lifetime ago."

Brock nodded in agreement quite surprised that he could remember that far back into his childhood.

"So what are you doing in Hazelton?" Brock asked.

"I'm performing with this group," she told him.

They spent the rest of the day just talking.

Brock was surprised at how comfortable it felt to be with her.  He didn't feel like he had to impress her.  He felt that he could just be with Garnet and be himself.

He liked that feeling.

He walked into the Pokemon centre four hours later after he had said goodbye with a smile plastered on his face.

He was almost in a daze, he didn't recognize the world around him and it all seemed so surreal.

Nurse Joy stopped suddenly as she crossed Brocks path causing him to stop to.

"Oh hello Nurse Joy," he said cheerfully.  "Nice day don't you think?"

Nurse Joy blinked a few times trying to figure out how this could be the same frightening flirtatious boy that they were all so frightened of.  He was normal, well as close to normal as Brock could get.

"Bye," he said casually heading to the lounge so he could watch TV until the others were back.

Nurse Joy blinked again.  No cheesy pick up line, no unwanted plea for her to be his forever.  It was so strange.  She had to go call the others.

~ to be continued ~

As you can see this is a BAGLE (Brock And Garnet LovE).  I always wanted to have one of those that spelt a word.  Please review and next chapter we'll find out what stalker chick was up to all day.


	9. It's You I See

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon.

Beyond the Shadows – It's You I See

She watched them leave through a gap in the trees outside the Hazelton Pokemon Centre.  They were undoubtedly heading towards the Pokemon gym on the other side of town.  Where else was there to go, Hazelton was pretty empty once you looked beyond the gym.

She sighed as she realized she would have to find something else to do with her day.

Sure she loved to see him, no matter what he was doing, but she had better things to do with her time than to watch him watch the younger boy with the black hair and brown eyes battle his Pokemon against the Hazelton gym leader; no matter how cute it was to watch the boy and the girl interact.

(A/N: Amazing how even stalker chick thinks they make a cute couple)

She decided to head to the library.  She'd sat and watched him through one of the battles once before, they could take hours which meant for at least an hour she would have to find something else to take her away from reality.

She hated reality.  Reality hurt.  Reality is just a big, nasty, vicious dragon and she did her best not to believe in dragons.  They were one of the many things that helped her escape.

It was on her way back from the library that things really started to get interesting.

Knowing she had an unlimited amount of time to burn before she got the chance to see him again she took the scenic route back to the Pokemon Centre.  This was the route that took her through the wandering paths of the Hazelton reserve.

She walked silently through the park, subconsciously walking through the shadows from instinct and reading her book as she walked preferring the tales of princes and princesses and happily ever afters to her lonesome reality.  It was then that she suddenly felt herself walk into something solid jarring her from her book and her fantasy world and causing her to drop all her books.

She sighed inwardly as she bent down to grab her books from the ground.

She felt a warm gaze upon her and saw an extra pair of hands collecting the books around her.  They reached out for the same book and she felt a spark flow through her body.  

It was amazing, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up straight and her stomach filled with thousands of tiny Butterfree.  She felt something there that she had never even known existed, but it seemed that it did because she felt it.

She looked up to find the identity of her mysterious stranger.  She suppressed a gasp as she recognized his dark brown hair, tanned features and black eyes.

She reminded herself to breathe, not to go all crazy on him and to just stay calm.  She didn't think this day would ever happen, but here it was unplanned as if fate had meant it to happen.

She suddenly realized that it hadn't just been a trick for her mind, the way she was feeling now proved that.  She was honestly in love with Brock Slate as she had been for about as long as she could remember.

_'Say something,'_ she told herself.

"Sorry," she said biting down nervously on her lip.  She hoped she wouldn't draw blood; she was biting it so hard as she waited for his response.

"N-no, i-it's ok," he stuttered nervously.

He blushed and looked away but she didn't notice this, she had looked away first.  Her cheeks felt warm and she knew she was blushing, something she hadn't done in a long time.

"So you like fantasy books?" he asked.

She looked up to meet his gaze then shyly looked back down.

"I guess so," she replied.

She held back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.  He felt nothing for her, she wasn't pretty enough, she wasn't smart enough, and she just wasn't enough.  She wasn't like Nurse Joy, or Officer Jenny.  He could never look at her the way he looked at them, and the thought just made her sad.

She looked down, not because she was shy or embarrassed.  She looked down because she didn't want him to see the sadness and tears welling in her eyes as she came to a realization.

_'But what about that spark?'_ her mind asked.  _'He felt it to you can't deny that.  What about fate?  It was destiny that both of you be walking through here the same day and that you should meet like this.  There's something there.'_

She thought it over, she just wasn't sure anymore.  She had spent so long just watching, just praying that he could love her.  She never thought she would ever see him face to face, she always just thought she would spend her life watching.

"Sometimes you just need to get away from reality," she sighed sadly.

"I get that," Brock replied.  "I'm Brock Slate," he said moving the books slightly so he could hold them with one hand before offering her his freehand.

She adjusted her own books and gladly took his hand in hers.  She felt the spark flow through her again as their hands connected.  She knew he felt it to, she just knew that it wasn't her mind playing tricks on her.  His grip was warm and strong; she didn't ever want to let him go.

"I'm Garnet Pebble," she told him.

"That's a beautiful name," Brock commented.

Garnet blushed.  "Thank you Brock," she smiled looking up to meet his eyes as she said his name.  

He held her gaze and she felt the chemistry between them.  This was just her imagination; at least she hoped it wasn't.  She saw something in his eyes she didn't recognize.  It was different from what she was use to seeing – hate, loathing and any other negative feelings you wanted to throw into the mix – this was so completely different from those.  This was love.

"It's my favourite stone," she added playing with a silver chain with a pendant hanging around her neck.  This was something she often did when she was nervous and just the thought of herself standing near the thing she had admired from a distance for so long made her nervous.

The two began to walk together back in the direction she had come from.  She was surprised to find that it wasn't at all awkward like she had expected it to be.  It seemed perfect; it was comfortable as if they had known each other forever.

"Where are you . . ." they both started at the same time.  They both laughed.

"You go first," Brock insisted.

"No you," she replied.

Brock smiled.  "I was just going to ask you where you are from," he said slightly shyly.

Garnet smiled too.  "I was actually going to ask you the same thing," she told him.  "I'm from a place in Kanto called Pewter."

She was glad that she could be completely honest with Brock.  She didn't have to use false names or any of those other things that she usually used.  She could finally just be herself with someone, someone that seemed to like plain old ordinary Garnet Pebble

"Really?" Brock asked.  "That's where I'm from, I'm actually the gym leader."

"No way?" she asked.  "I though you looked familiar.  Me and my friend Rochelle used to have the biggest crush on you in Grade school."  She giggled at the thought but blushed as she realized what she had said.

"I remember now," Brock smiled.  "Rochelle Thompson, right?"  Garnet nodded.  "Yes, you always wore your hair in braids."

"You have a very good memory," Garnet told him.  "It all seems like a lifetime ago."

"So what are you doing in Hazelton?" Brock asked.

"I'm performing with this group," she told him.

She sighed inwardly.  It was the first time she had lied to him and she hated it already.  She felt extremely guilty and she just wanted to tell him the truth.  But then she couldn't tell him that she was here because he was.  Things were going too perfect and she didn't want to ruin that.

As they walked together until it got dark they reminisced of their days in grade school and of their homeland, Pewter City.

They watched the sunset in the distance, and Garnet found that for the first time in her life she felt whole and complete and she never wanted to let that feeling go.

She sighed as they had to part ways.  She watched him go in and she watched him ignore Nurse Joy.

And for the first time in a long time she smiled, genuinely, as that little bit of hope left in her found a reason to shine.

~ to be continued ~

So now you all know stalker chicks target and name I no longer have to refer to them as stalker chick and stalker chicks target.

She's not really a stalker chick anymore but I promise that things will get interesting.  I had this whole like dark plot planned out but then I started to like Garnet and I felt sorry for her so that kind of ruined that trail which means I have to come up with something else to get to that ending so the chapters might get further and further apart not like I update regularly anyway.

Please review especially if you have any idea's of where I can go from here.


	10. To Know You Know Nothing

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, actually I'm not too sure about that.  I've been writing these things so long (ok so not really that long but that's beside the point) I think I should at least own something by now.  Wait, I do own something.

Claimer – I do own Stalker chick/Garnet Pebble/I just felt like putting another slash in here, is mine but I don't mind if you use her.  The world needs more BAGLE's (also mine).

Beyond the Shadows – To Know You Know Nothing

Misty looked at him suspiciously.

She couldn't help but note the change that had come over him in the past few days.

He walked into the room with a bounce in his step humming a familiar love song.  She picked it up straight away as one of her favourites 'When I'm Missing You' by A1, something the two of them had ridiculed her many times for listening to.

But that wasn't even the most surprising part.  

He'd walked past the Pokemon centers desk and through the main lobby ignoring the Nurse Joy siting at the desk and every pretty girl in the room.

As he sat down beside her she checked his forehead.

All the symptoms pointed to one thing. The lack of temperature, the weird look in his eyes, the humming love songs thing, the weird air around him and not to mention that goofy smile that was plastered on his face or sudden bounce in his step.  Boy did he have it bad.

There seemed only one possible conclusion, only one thing it could possibly be at all and it seemed to be the most obvious of all, Brock Slate, the boy she had known to fall for any girl with the exception of herself and Jesse, was in love.

"What's her name?" Misty asked.

"Garnet Pebble," he sighed blissfully.  "She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen."

"I remember you saying the exact same thing about Jenny and Joy and Melanie and Melody when she came to visit from the Orange Islands and Erika and Giselle that little hussie . . ." Misty said trailing off not quite convinced of Brocks feelings for this Garnet person.

"This is different from all of them," Brock said changing to a more serious tone of voice.  "I've only known her for a few hours, but already I feel as though I could never live without her even if I wanted to.  I feel everything that you and Ash feel for each other.  And for the first time in my life Misty," Brock said almost shyly, "I think I'm in love."

Misty blushed slightly as she smiled at Brock's bluntness and sincerity.  Now she was convinced.  Now she knew that Brocks feelings for this girl were as true as her own for Ash and that Brock was honestly in love with her.

"Then Garnet is a very lucky girl," Misty told him tears of happiness welling in her eyes.

"Thanks Misty," Brock told her taking her in a hug for no particular reason.

"So," Misty asked, "when do we get to meet the love of your life?"

"Well seeing as I've already met yours," Brock teased her.  Misty whacked him.  "How about tomorrow?" he said seeing the annoyed look on Misty's face.  "I'll go organise it now."

Brock hurried away to the phone excitedly just as Ash entered the room.

"What's his hurry?" Ash asked her.

"He's going to call Garnet," she replied.

"Wait, are you saying that Brock actually has a girls phone number?" Ash asked quite awestruck.

Misty nodded.  "She sounds nice and its obvious that Brock really likes her, I mean he came in here and didn't even say hi to Nurse Joy."  

Ash's eyes widened with surprise.

"Anyway," Misty continued, "we're going to meet her tomorrow."

Misty sighed inwardly at the way things were going.  She had expected it to all be so awkward between them, that was probably why she'd been doing such a fine job of avoiding him, but it wasn't.

It was the first time they had been left alone to talk among themselves since she'd kissed him on the forehead to say goodnight and she still couldn't believe she had done such a thing.

Usually she was a rational person.  Usually she didn't do anything out of the ordinary, anything that involved major risk beyond the things that Ash seemed to rope her into using emotional, physical and otherwise blackmail.  Usually she didn't let emotions control her.  Usually she didn't listen to her heart when her head was screaming no at her.  Usually she wouldn't have kissed Ash, period.

But it had seemed so right at the time, like the most natural thing of all to do.  Like she was supposed to kiss him, like it was just something she always did.  It had happened so suddenly she wasn't sure that she could have stopped it even if she wanted to.

It was strange, she almost seemed to be stressing out more about a kiss on the forehead than one on the lips.  

Though that hadn't exactly been a kiss, just an almost kiss.  At least she thought it was an almost kiss.

Damn.  She couldn't believe she was going through all this again.  She'd finally convinced herself that it was nothing, meant nothing and never will and that plan seemed to be working pretty well until now when everything was turned upsidedown and she was back where she started.

But that's how it always was with things that concerned herself and Ash.  One step forward, two steps back, never getting any closer to understanding what she was searching for.  

There were times when she just couldn't take it anymore, that she decided to just give up on Ash, decide that she meant nothing to him and then realise that she couldn't continue the way they were just pretending that she didn't feel these feelings for him.  She would make her decision to leave, get ready to pack her things up and go when suddenly Ash would just do something so simple, yet so meaningful that she was back to square one where she wasn't sure if day was night or night was day.

All he had to do was say her name and she was locked into this state of confusion as to exactly what he mean t when he said it, how on earth was she possibly able to act calmly about the fact that she and Ash had almost KISSED?

She was still unsure of what would have happened if Pikachu hadn't been there, hadn't called out and stopped what had almost seemed like the inevitable at the time.  What if their moment hadn't been broken?  What if Pikachu had just waited a few seconds more to call out?  What if they had actually kissed?  What would happen next?  Where would they be?

There were so many questions just flying about in her head that she didn't even hear the one being asked to her by her best friend sitting beside her as he tried to bring her back to reality.

"Misty are you ok?" she heard him ask as she finally found her way back to semiconsciousness.  "Hey Myst, you there," he added waving his hand in front of her face.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly.  "I guess I'm just a little tired or something."

"Hey, maybe we can stay here an extra night and you can catch up on the lack of sleep you've got from all those nights on the forest floor," Ash suggested quite kindly.  "I mean we haven't even had a chance to check out the town yet," he added.

"That would be nice," Misty replied.

"I wouldn't bother," Brock said entering into the conversation that goofy grin still plastered on his face.  "I checked it out while you two were busy doing god knows what the other day."

Brock raised his eyebrow suggestively.  This was all a matter of emotional payback for in the early days of their journey the way Misty had done the exact same thing.  At least he had the decency to be subtle about these things even though it was a bit more pg13 than hers.

Both Ash and Misty blushed as they remember just exactly what they had been doing whilst Brock was out with Garnet one particular event standing out in their minds causing each to go into a state of deep thought.

Brock smiled at the red tinge on each of their cheeks, but they were too deep in thought to notice this or to notice the way the other had zoned out in much the same way.

Remembering the other day's events sent both into a state of semiconsciousness as if they weren't all there anymore.  The kiss played on their minds, it's meaning toyed with their hearts and the word almost broke them in two.

"Anyone there?" Brock said waving a hand in front of each of their faces again smiling to himself as if laughing at his own private joke.

"Sorry Brock," Misty said trying to force the usual spark into her voice even though she felt emotionally drained.  

Thoughts of Ash often drained her of it especially ones like this.  Sometimes they filled her with hope, happiness and raised her spirits to new levels she had never imagined she could reach.  At other times the sent her into a spiral of depression and drained all the excitement and energy and fire that she was well known for from her.

Ash noticed this.  He always did.  Her fire was one of the many things that he seemed to love so much about her.

He had known her so long that he could tell when it was forced and when it was real.  At times he felt as though he could sense exactly how Misty was feeling at that precise moment even if she was faraway as if they were linked.

The whole time they had known each other, they had never left each others side for more than twenty four hours and neither of them would really have it any other way.

"What was it you wanted?" Ash asked almost glad to be away from his heart wrenching and utterly confusing thoughts.

"Well, though the town itself isn't really much to look at there is a nice lake about half an hours walk into the forest," Brock explained.

"A lake," Misty said happily.  "With swimming and water Pokemon and sun bathing."

"So is that a yes to the lake idea Myst?" Ash asked.

She nodded happily before she ran upstairs to get her togs.

Ash sighed as he watched her receeding figure.  It seemed to hurt him to see her walking away from him.  The only thing that really kept him sane was the knowledge that she would be coming back.

"You should tell her," Brock said trying to offer some brotherly advice.  "She needs to know before it all just eats her up inside and she can't take it anymore.  Before she gives up and tries to move on with her life."

Ash stayed silent not looking at Brock but at the door where he waited for Misty to return to any minute now.

Brock sighed trying to find some way to get through to him.  Ash needed to hear what he had to say.  He had to convince Ash to tell her before it was too late and neither could stand it any longer.

He knew Misty wasn't going to tell him, she was too scared to start with but she liked to use the excuse of chivalry to get her out of it.  It was just as the song said, 'too shy to ask, too proud to loose but sooner or later I've got to chose' and that was what he needed to hear.  They were so afraid of losing what they had that regret wasn't even an issue.

"She doesn't think she can live without you Ash," he said hoping this would help.  He knew it was something Ash could relate to, but would it work.  "And right now," he continued, "she doesn't want to find out, but one day the pain is going to get so bad that life with you has even lost its appeal and she doesn't care anymore.  You can already see the pain in her, the doubt and the frustration."

Ash still refused to look him in the eye.

Brock sighed and yelled in frustration.  "you're in love with the girl and it seems she's the only one who doesn't fucking know already.  Don't you bloody well think she has a right to know?"

Ash finally looked at him as did many of the people around them who gave Brock dirty looks for cursing and ruining the peace and quite of the Pokemon Centre, especially Nurse Joy.

"She needs to know," Brock told him in a calmer tone, "and the only way she's ever going to believe it is if she hears it from you."

Ash sighed.  "I know," he said.  "I know."

~ to be continued ~

Another chapter completed, another love found and another heart broken.  Ok so I'm a little itty bit over dramatic but what else do you expect of me.

I have come to the conclusion that the legendaries and the mew and stuff are really powerful, but quite unaccesable so I'm making my own Pokemon up.  Finally something else I own in this story, by the way I don't own that lyric in there, it's Westlife (who else?) from 'If I Let You Go' and I've always thought about how perfect that one lyric is for Ash and Misty.

I've also come up with a new dark scary plot for this story with another stalker chick to mix things up a bit.  Yes, this will be very interesting.

Please review, it means a lot to me and the more the very merrier.


	11. Anticipation

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon.

Beyond the Shadows – Anticipation

Garnet nervously wrung her hands together.  It was something she often did when she was nervous, like how some people would bite their nails or others would mumble quietly to them selves.  She just wrung her hands together as if she was trying to wring the nervousness out of her body starting with her hands.

It never seemed to work but at least it helped take her mind off the reason why she was nervous, or at least distract her for small periods of time.

Garnet glanced at the door again, as she had been for about the last ten minutes.  She was early something which was actually quite rare for her.  She was half an hour early if you wanted to be exact but she didn't want to start off with a bad impression by being terribly late.

She was about to meet Brock's two closest friends in the world, and for obvious reasons she really cared what they thought of her.

She knew their opinions would be important to Brock, she could tell by the way he talked about them with such admiration.  They were an important part of his life and if she was ever going to become part of it she needed to be part of theirs too.

A few minutes later they arrived.  The red head was in the lead wearing a pair of denim petal-pushers and a blue singlet top and waving a Pokemon league hat around dramatically.  The younger boy, her best friend, followed wrapping his arms around her waist as he pinned her to himself and reached for the hat which she refused to give up without a fight.

It was obvious neither was complaining about the positions they had put themselves in, actually they quite enjoyed it.  

Misty loved the feel of Ash's arms around her.  She felt so safe and protected.  She felt as though she had been given wings and that nothing could get her from where she was, like he would never let anything happen to her as long as he lived.

And Ash loved the feeling of holding Misty in his arms, something he was only allowed to do on rare occasions such as this one.  It felt so right to have Misty in his arms, as if it were how everything was supposed to be.  He felt strong to have him so close to him, he felt fearless and empowered as though he could do anything, as if he could take on any challenge.

Garnet giggled at the scene and wondered how on earth they were the only ones that couldn't see what seemed so perfectly clear.  The two were perfect for each other and madly in love to top it off, too bad they didn't know any better.

Next came Brock, the one she was happiest to see.

He scanned the café as he came in and smiled and waved as he saw her forgetting about his two friends as he walked to her table.  He kissed her cheek as he handed her a red rose.

"It matches your eyes perfectly," he told her.

Garnet blushed.

Her entire life, she had never dreamed of things being so perfect as it was now.  She was so afraid that any minute now she might wake up and find out that it had all been some wonderful dream.

Brock looked into her eyes and suddenly remembered his two companions that were still at the door fighting over a hat.

One of Ash's arms were wrapped tightly around her waist where as the other reached for Misty's arm.  Misty was struggling to keep her breathing under control when she remembered a time when this had been that much easier.  When Ash hadn't been nearly as tall, or strong and she hadn't been nearly as in love with him.

"Um guys," Brock called to them.  "I don't mean to interrupt whatever it is that's going on over there . . ."

Misty and Ash looked at each other and moved out of their almost awkward positions.  A blush crept onto each of their cheeks as Misty tried to use the cap to hide hers from any on lookers that may have gotten the wrong idea from the public display of god knows what.

" . . . but I want you both to meet someone," he continued grinning to himself which only caused them to blush darker.

The two walked over to the table.

"Guys this is Garnet," Brock said as he sat down beside his girlfriend.  "Garnet, these two are Ash and Misty."

They all shared greeting and shook hands before taking their seats around the circular table.

"Brock's told me so much about you both," Garnet smiled at them.

"Well he hasn't told us a thing about you other than the fact that you're the prettiest girl he's ever seen," Misty said her voice cheerful, "so maybe you can fill us in on that."

Garnet nodded.  "Brock and I went to grade school together in Pewter and we just met up here a few days ago," she explained.  "I work with a proformance group who use Pokemon for shows.  I mostly work with the psychic Pokemon which is my specialty and we just travel from town to town."

"Sounds exciting," Misty smiled thinking of the life she must live as a performer traveling around and getting to work with her favourite Pokemon on a daily basis without having to battle them.

"No more than yours," Garnet replied.  "I mean from what I've heard from Brock you guys have had your fair share of adventures."

Misty laughed at this.  "only cause mr. Pokemon master there has a superman complex," she told Garnet glancing at Ash from the corner of her eye.

"hey I resent that," Ash said with mock defensiveness.

"too bad cause it's true," she replied.  "All that's missing right now is those cute little red tights and a cape."

"fine but you have to be my annoying little sidekick," he told her.  "you can be wondergirl."

"See what I have to live with," Misty sighed to Garnet jokingly.  "If I were you I'd get out while I still can."

"Aw, you know you'd never leave Myst," Ash told her.  Misty sent him a look that demanded 'why not?' without having to say it.  "Because," Ash continued, "I still owe you a bike."

"bike wrecker," she muttered sarcastically under her breath for image sake as she shot him angry look that she knew as well as anyone else he would never understand.

Only part of Ash actually believed that the only reason she was still with him right now was a silly little bike he had smashed up over five years ago, that was why he had never really gotten around to paying her back for it.  The rest of him relied on the friendship and bond that had been built between them over the years to explain it.

But then there was always that one part of him.  It was so small in comparison, almost miniscule yelling to be heard among the other thoughts.  So tiny that you wouldn't notice it unless you knew it was there, but with a voice so loud it often drowned out all the rest.  A voice with such a simple explanation for Misty's presence, or maybe it was the most complicated of all, he was never quite sure of that but the voice told him that she was as in love with him as he was with her.

He struggled to believe that tiny part of him that tried to drown out all the words around him.  He wanted to believe it so badly.  To believe that everyones words were true and that he was really just missing the obvious, but the rest of him wouldn't let him believe it.  The rest of him was too scared to believe it, too skeptic to think such a thing could ever happen to him.

But then, he used to be skeptic of love, then Misty came along and things were never really the same again, not that he minded.  He could no longer picture his life without her, and the truth was he didn't want to.

Garnet watched the two with great interest.

She had always been the one watching, and now she almost felt like she was a part of what all three of them shared on a daily basis.

From her distance, behind the glass walls as a mere spectator to the lives they led, it was easy to see the affection that the two felt for each other.  As a part of it, it was so obvious that she wondered why neither of them picked up on it.

_'You would have to be blind, deaf, mute and just plain stupid not to be able to understand the love these two feel for each other,'_ Garnet thought to herself.

She liked the feeling she got to be with all of them.  For the first time in her life, she felt like she wasn't alone anymore, that there were people watching out for her.

She didn't want to loose that feeling, because she never wanted to feel as unwanted as she did in her childhood again.

She stared in through the window.  

She had finally found her, the one she had been looking for all along.  And wherever she was, she knew he was sure to follow.

She smiled at the scene, all the happy faces and laughter they shared and she knew that if she had her way, they wouldn't be happy for much longer.

And she always got her way.

~ to be continued ~

Ok, so how'd you like that chapter?

Tell me what you think and maybe you could all help me with a few idea's for this new Pokemon I've decided to create because I couldn't figure out a Pokemon with the power to kick Pikachu's ass.


	12. Running out of Reason

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon

Sorry this took so long, it took me a while to write this and I wanted to start on the next chapter as well so there wouldn't be as much of a wait for it.

Beyond the Shadows – Running Out of Reason

It was dark now, darker than it had ever truly been before.  Darker than it would possibly ever be again.

It was so dark that you couldn't see your own hand in front of your face.  So dark in fact, that she easily blended in with the darkened shadows and silhouettes that filled her path.

The sun had gone down hours ago, and the sleepy town had seemed to just shut down on its own accord, which only encouraged her perfect execution.

There was no one around anymore, at least no one but her.  She liked it better like that anyway.

There was no one around this way to distract her from her plan, her mission you could call it.  The night was her only friend, her only partner in crime, her only companion, but she didn't mind, it did its job.  It easily hid her from the eyes of others and it made this so much easier to deploy.

She crept easily through the shadows with stealth and agility.  She was unseen next to the night sky, just how she wanted it to be.

She was getting closer now.  Her target was almost in sight, she could see it on her horizon, she could see her victory in hand.

It was so close now, she could already smell the sweet scent of victory on the air.  Her body filled with nervous excitement as she assured herself she could do this, that she would do this and that this time she would win.

It wasn't payback, or revenge, nothing like that.  Blackmail perhaps, so she could have what was hers returned in full, but mostly this was for fun.  

She couldn't wait to see the look upon her sweet little face when she found it out, when she discovered her plan.  When she lost it all, when she lost everything that mattered the most all over again.

She slinked up to his bedside and placed a cloth over his mouth.  The drug took effect quickly, he barely had time to try and scream out her name.

But that only made it more fun, made it more challenging and exciting.  It increased the risk and filled her with adrenaline and excitement.

It was all so perfect.  Her revenge if you must give it a name, was working out brilliantly.  She couldn't have planned it any better even if she tried.

Soon everything would be as it should.  Soon she would have everything she wanted.  Soon she would be on top again.

Soon, she would be begging for death.  

And soon, soon she would give it to her.

She sang softly to herself as she pulled a brush through her long hair.

"so many times, I though I held it in my hands, but just like grains of sand love sipped through my love slipped through my fingers," she sang along to Nsync's 'Something Like You' which played along in the background.  "And so many nights, I asked the lord above 'please make me lucky enough to find a love that lingers'.  Something keeps telling me that you could be my answered prayer.  You must be heaven sent I swear cause something happens when you look at me I forget to speak.  Something happens when you kiss my mouth my knee's get so weak.  Could it be true this is what god has meant for me cause baby I can't believe that something like you would happen to me."

It was morning now, and last nights events remained unknown by all.

She smiled to herself.  

She couldn't remember ever feeling so happy.  She couldn't remember the a time in her life before he came along that she had felt happy enough to sing.

She could barely remember the old life she was forced to lead.  The life of misery she had left behind where she would use anything to take her away from her cruel reality.

But now reality was just fine and she couldn't bear to leave it all behind, especially not him.

Brock was everything to her.  He had filled the void in her heart, he made her feel whole again.  He made her forget everything bad that had ever happened in her life, he made her forget all the pain she had been caused in the past.  He healed the wounds, he comforted her when she needed to cry and he was just there.

He was absolutely perfect.  There wasn't a thing wrong with him, there wasn't anything she would change and he narrowed all her former regrets down to one little regret concerning her little brother Michael.

But now was no time to think about that, she had a good life now and she didn't want to remember it.  She just hoped he was safe.

Her smile brightened the more she thought about Brock and how absolutely perfect he was from his sparkling black "eyes" to his spiky hair and warm smile.  She couldn't think of anyone more perfect for her in the entire universe than Brock Slate, actually she didn't want to.

They had only been together less than a week now but that was more than enough.  For her it had been love at first sight, even when they were still in elementary and she knew it would continue to be love until last sight when they would die in each others arms.

Her perfect fantasy played before her eyes of a life she knew they would spend together.  She used to dream of the day she would meet him face to face again, the day when he would pronounce his love to her and her alone, but now she didn't even want to go to sleep because her reality was better than her dreams.

That's when you know it's love, when you can't fall asleep because of that very fact.  Reality was perfect, he was perfect and it made her feel perfect.

Garnet hummed happily to herself as she tied her hair up into a high ponytail.  Today she would be leaving her act and traveling with Ash, Misty and Brock.  She had introduced them all to her psychic Pokemon who later told her that they could sense psychic energy within Misty's little baby pokmon.

She couldn't wait to meet them all at the Pokemon center this afternoon, especially Brock.

She sighed contently to herself.  She didn't think she would be able to ever stop smiling, but just as you find yourself on top of the world it's time to fall back down just like some twisted rollercoaster.

And boy was this rollercoaster twisted, or maybe it was just it's driver.

Garnet turned as she saw something pass from the corner of her eye.  It was time to come face to face with her nightmare, with the girl who had haunted her dreams that weren't about Brock for her entire life.  It was time to face the girl she had wished she would never have to see again.

But some wishes don't come true.

"Well if it isn't my darling little sister," Kirsten hissed bitterly.  "Now how long has it been since you were kicked out of the house?"

"Two of the best years of my life," Garnet replied snidely glaring at her sister.  This time she wasn't going to let Kirsten win.  She didn't have Michael to protect now so she could say whatever she wanted.  "What do you want Kirsten?"

"Now what kind of sister would I be if I followed you all the way here from little ole Pewter only to ask for something?" Kirsten asked forcing a tone of shock into her voice.  It was one like nails on a chalk board that made you cringe just to think of it.

"Exactly the kind of sister you are," Garnet said.  "The kind you run away from."

"Little sister, I'm hurt," Kirsten pouted an evil smile pulling at her lips.  "I only came to find little Mikey."

"What do you mean?" Garnet asked droping down her walls to keep Kirsten out as she was filled with worry.  Michael was the most precious thing in the world to her only equaled by Brock and she would blame herself if anything happened to either of them.

"I know you know where he is Garnet dear," Kirsten smirked spitting her name out distastefully.  "And unless you give him back to me, your little boyfriend is mine for the taking."

"What did you do to Brock?" Garnet gaped becoming more and more worried by the second.  First Michael and now Brock, she didn't think she could live with herself right now knowing that it was her fault that both their fates lay in the hands of the witch.

"Oh don't worry, he's just sleeping, for now," Kirsten smiled as she toyed with Garnet's heart.  

She was like a little puppet on a string right now ready to do her bidding no matter what.  Garnet had always believed in her heart above all else and now it was Kirsten's for the taking to totally destroy along with her sister.

"I want Michael, and I'm not giving you back rock boy until I get him," Kirsten said.

Garnet gasped as tears she didn't even know she was crying streamed down her face.  She grabbed her things and ran to the only place she knew to go.  She had to see for herself, make it real.  She prayed it was all a lie, or a dream cooked up by her imagination, anything but the truth she was to encounter.

Ash and Misty were in the lobby of the Pokemon center when she came in waiting impatiently.  She knew they were waiting for Brock.

"Garnet, what's wrong?" Misty asked sympathetically as she saw her.  "If you caught Brock flirting with another girl then I swear I'll kill him."

Garnet shook her head.  "Do you know where he is?" she asked her eyes filling with more and more tears.

"Actually we were hoping you did," Ash replied for her.  "When we went to wake him up this morning he wasn't there so we just thought he had gone out with you to watch the sunrise or something romantic like that, we were just waiting for him to come back."

"oh no, I . . . it can't be," she whispered desperately as the tears spilled down her face and her heart broke into thousands of tiny pieces.

"No this isn't happening," Garnet said wiping away her tears.  "This is all just funny joke.  You can come out now Brock, you got me," she yelled to him capturing the attention of all present and laughing nervously.  "That was a good one, I fell for your joke."

"This isn't a joke Garnet," Misty told her softly taking a step forward to comfort her.  Garnet took a step back eyeing her skeptically.  "You're the only one laughing."

"Then it's got to be a dream," Garnet begged her cheeks becoming tear streaked all over again.  "It has to be, I'm going to wake up any second now aren't I Misty?  Please Misty?" she begged meakly as she cried into Misty's shoulder.

Misty felt her pain.  She didn't know what she would do if Ash ever went missing or something.  It would break her heart in two and never be mended.  She would be forced to tears despite her strong exterior just like Garnet was.

But Misty didn't even know the half of it.  She didn't know what Garnet knew, she didn't know about Kirsten or Michael or much of her life for that matter.  She didn't know the things that went on in her head or why she was like she was right now.

"Garnet, tell me what's wrong," Misty said her voice neither commanding nor questioning.

Ash watched sympathetically from a far figuring it was girl stuff and that his presence would only be intruding on things he'd probably rather not know about for the time being.

"Do you want to know why I left Pewter?" Garnet asked knowing she would have to start from the beginning.  Her voice wavered with uncertainty and emotion but she knew she had to talk about this because it was the only way to make them understand.

Misty nodded in response as she led Garnet to where she and Ash had been sitting before signaling for him to follow.

_'Whipped,'_ Garnet thought to herself almost smiling for a second until her thoughts found their way back to Brock as they always did.  

It had been a long time since she had cried.  Just like Misty she had built walls around her heart and kept her emotions well hidden so Kirsten would never be able to hurt her, to make her cry.

But happiness and tranquility had tricked her into lowering her defecnces.  It was like she had opened her heart and soul to Brock then forgotten to close it.  Kirsten had found a way to hurt her and it made her betray a promise she had made to herself too long ago to remember.

"I left two years ago to escape my family, actually they made me leave.  They just forced me out unto the world without even a 'goodbye, have a nice life'," Garnet said sadly.  "But mostly I left to escape my sister.

"My entire life people thought I was some kind of terrible klutz because I would come to school some days covered head to toe in bruises.  I would always make up some kind of excuse to explain them like walking into a door frame, or falling down the stairs, anything to conceal the truth," she explained now remembering the life she had spent so long trying to forget.  "But no one would have believed the truth even if I hadn't lied.  I'd tried many a time to let people know, but who would really believe that my teenage sister was beating me for her own sick twisted pleasure."

Misty gasped.  She had thought her own sisters were bad but Garnet's was just beyond it.  Kirsten was just plain evil and she was still yet to find out just how evil she was.  Boy was she going to find out.

Ash sat quietly taking it all in and trying to picture the life she led and all the horrors it must have contained for her to want to escape it so badly.  Kirsten was enough but something told him that there was more.

"She liked to frame me for things I didn't do so she had reason to beat the crap out of me, as if to suffice her conscience," she added.  "But Kirsten was only the worst of it.  My mother used to put prescription pills and illegal drugs into my food in an effort to just make me disappear.  She never wanted me, she just wanted another Kirsten.  I was never good enough for her and she made sure I knew it.  When I was ten she tried to drown me in the bathtub.  It was only by luck that my father came in and stopped her, but he wasn't much better and at times I almost wish that god had just let me drown that day and save me from it all.

"My dad was a drunk who wasted him money on poker.  He wasn't very good at it and every time he'd come home after a bad night at the casino or bar or wherever the game was being held he would take his frustrations out on the furniture, family heirlooms and me," she said.  "He would beat me in the same fashion as Kirsten so I never had to wonder where she got that from, but thanks to uncoordinated drunkedness and bad eyesight I could protect myself from him.  

"His tactics we're merely physical," she continued, "where as Kirstens were both that and emotional.  She loved nothing more than to hear me scream for mercy as tears streamed from my eyes, so I promised myself I would never cry again, especially because of her."

"Why did you live with it so long? Why didn't you runaway sooner?" Misty asked cruriously.

"Because I had to protect my brother," Garnet replied.  "I let them do this to me so that they wouldn't hurt him and I stayed so he would be safe.  But it seems he too found a way to escape because Kirsten is looking for him and she's kidnapped Brock until I get her Michael.  The thing is I don't know where he is and if I don't find him I'll never see Brock again."

Ash who had been thoughtful the entire time finally spoke up.  "Don't worry," he told her his eyes and voice full of determination.  "There's always a way."

~ to be continued ~

So how was that?  Anyway I first started feeling sorry for Garnet when I wrote about Kirsten so I decide to use her as the evil chick instead and she's been stalking Garnet in an effort to find Michael.

Please review, as they say the more the merrier and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry and suffering from review withdrawal.


	13. The Will in the Way

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon. 

Beyond the Shadows – The Will In The Way__

Ash promised a way, and he delivered as he always did, but something told them it wouldn't be enough this time.

Ash handled this in typical Ash fashion.  There was one thing that he knew he could succeed with no matter what, whether it was by skill or blind luck.  It was the one thing that he knew he was among the best.

He was almost unbeatable and those were as good a set of odds if any.

So he did what came naturally.  He challenged Kirsten to a Pokemon battle and hoped for the best.

The three of them woke up early the day after Garnet's story to a bright sunrise.  Any other day this would have been a welcomed sight receiving admiration and coos of 'how romantic' from the two girls, but today they just couldn't appreciate it thanks to the dark cloud that hung over them.

Today was to be an important day, even if they were yet to know just how important.

Since Garnet's explanation Misty had spent the day comforting their new friend while Ash had been planning ways to get Brock back.

Most of these plans were quite ridiculous to say the least, like the one where he devised they dress up as clowns, find Kirsten then put her to sleep by pretending to be clowns and using one of those little flower things that squirt water at you when you go sniff it and kidnap Brock back while she's fast asleep.

Some of his plans were complicated, like the one where they wait for a solar eclipse then fake their own deaths using two horses, an African monkey and a piece of yellow soap thus starting a chain of extremely intricate reactions that I would rather not go into right now eventually ending with Kirsten handing herself over to the rightful authorities.

Some were well . . . um . . . inventive like the one where they were to use an extremely large group of pidgies, pidgeotto, and pidgeot all at once and all using swift attacks to create a rift in the time space continuum so they could then go back in time and warn their past selves of what was going to happen.  Ash was actually rather liking the prospect of not one, but two Misty's for that one.

And others were just plain stupid and proved that he watched far too many movies.  Quite frankly, the amount of times Ash and Misty had spent in a dark theatre, alone excelled that of actual couples.

Anyway, there was this one plan with these 'aliens' from the future with special mind wielding powers who let them borrow their spaceship and taught them to use the mind wielding powers of the 'Jedi Knights' and to use these cool glowey thingee's called 'light sabers'.  Then, with the help of this cute blonde guy (at least according to Misty) called Hayden Christenson and a cradle robber (also according to Misty and who he thought was kind of cute) called Natilie Portman they would sneak into Kirsten's hide out a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away where they would chop off darth vaders arm, kill Luke Skywalker because he's an embarrassment to all Skywalker's, kill Han Solo because he's a pervert who's obsessed with cars from what I can make out, kill Princess Laya because she has bad hair and tried to sleep with her brother, and use Chibaka to find Brock and drive their spaceship back to earth.

Ok, so maybe that last one was just an example of the worst of them and more than stupid but he had been trying to devise a plan for four hours and he still hadn't had lunch.

_'Maybe I'll be able to think of something better after I eat,'_ Ash thought to himself as he sighed.  

He was almost annoyed at himself for not being able to handle this, for not being able to protect one of his best friends.  He was still wondering how he would ever cope if it had been Misty taken instead, he knew that he would be able to stand it.

_'Poor Garnet,'_ he thought relating the pain he would feel if he ever lost Misty and the constant worry he felt when she wasn't around to how Garnet must be feeling now.

"What am I going to do, Pikachu?" Ash asked his Pokemon.

"Pika," the yellow mouse replied.

"That's it," Ash said suddenly getting up filled with excitement.  "You're a genius Pikachu?"

"Pika?" the confused rodent asked tilting it's head to the side as he watched his master spread the good news.

"Misty, I figured it out," he told her excitedly resisting an urge to wrap his arms around her and happily dance her around the room.

"Got what?" she asked not entirely certain of what he was going on about.

"A Pokemon battle," he replied.  "That's how we'll get Brock back."

"Ash," she told him seriously with a sigh, "it seems to be the way you solve every problem.  Did it ever occur to you that not everything can be solved with a Pokemon battle?"

The words seemed harsh, but not her voice, she sounded tired.  She sounded like she was almost to the point of giving up and that she couldn't take much more, like she was beyond the point of exhaustion.

She too had spent the day thinking of ways to save Brock and none of them seemed to bring them any closer to getting him back.  Everything seemed to make her more tired.

"Misty, you know I'm good," he pleaded with her.  "I can get Brock back if you only give me the chance to prove it to you."

"Ok Ash," she sighed giving in, "but let's wait till tomorrow.  Today has already been too long a day."

Ash nodded his anticipation building for tomorrow, which had finally come round.

Garnet had found a note in her room telling her where to bring Michael when she found him, chances are it was from her darling sister, who else would break into her room to give her such a message?

So they set out for an abandoned gym, just outside of Hazelton where they presumed that Kirsten was residing.

The place looked straight out of a horror film.  Broken shutters hung limply from boarded windows at odd angles, and ugly vines climbed the walls encircling it.  Dark tree's kept it in the shadows, not letting in the light and a broken door creaked as it swayed lightly as cold breeze blew past.

They all shuddered as if the place it's self was emitting a dark cold that chilled them to the very bone.

Misty took a deep shaky breath.  She didn't want to go in there, it was worse than the tower in Lavender Town, but she had to.  She had to save Brock and show Ash that she was there for him no matter what.

They walked into a large room.  It was dark except for a few spots of light that somehow made it past the shadowing trees and rotting boards that tried to block it's way.

This was one of those places, which looked just as bad inside as it did outside.

Misty rubbed her shoulders trying to rid herself of the goosebumps.  She didn't like this place, it made her feel so unsafe and vulnerable.  The sooner they were out of here the better.

"It'll be ok Myst.  We'll be out of here in no time," Ash told her reassuringly as if he had just read her mind.

Some how this was enough to ease the queezy feeling in her stomach that this place gave her.

Suddenly the lights turned on illuminating the entire room.  

Ash moved in front of Misty protectively as he often did in times such as this.  He surveyed the now lit battling area noticing things that had been invisible in the almost complete darkness they had found when they entered.

"Well who do we have here?" a girl with bleached blonde hair and menacing blue eyes asked snidely.  She looked similar to Garnet, but only tiny things, you could barely tell they were sisters.

"I'm Ash Ketchum," Ash said still protecting Misty, "and I challenge you to a Pokemon battle."

"What for?" she asked getting right to the point.  "Why would I want to battle you?"

"If I win," Ash told her his voice filled with its usual determination, "we get Brock back."

He saw Garnet's eyes light up noticeably from the corner of his eye.  He knew he was doing the right thing.  He knew that this was their only option.

"And if I win?" Kirsten asked eying him suspiciously.

Ash sighed at the thought of what he had to do, but he had to, it was the only way.  Brock was on of his best friends practically his brother and like a father sometimes.  There was no other option but this.

"We still get Brock," Ash told her taking a deep breath before continuing, "and you get me."

He heard Misty gasp and swore he could see tears welling in her eyes, but he disregarded them, he had to.  He stood their trying to convince him self they meant nothing so he wouldn't have to go into a battle he might not win second guessing himself and his decision.

"Looks like I get the better of this deal," Kirsten smiled as her eyes moved up and down Ash's body eying him seductively. 

He shuddered and suddenly felt an urge to wash every inch of his body.  He actually preferred her suspicious glare to this, at least that didn't make him feel so dirty.

"It's one on one," she told him as she released her Pokemon.  "And there's no way you'll beat Catamoran."

Chances are she was right.  Catamoran was a Purrsian she had forced to evolve despite the fact that purrsian was the felines ultimate level anyway.  She had practically killed it in the process turning it into a ghost type cat with the powers of the 'undead' and the stealth of a cat.

"Ash, are you crazy?" Misty asked her eyes welling with tears.

He had already asked himself the same question and he was pretty sure the answer was yes but he had seen the pain in Garnet's eyes, a pain greater than anyone could ever imagine and knew he had to do something.  Garnet and Brock were in love, they needed each other.  He had to do this, for Brock, for Garnet and most of all, for Misty.

If Kirsten got him, sure Misty would be upset for a bit but she'd get over him.  They were just best friends and he knew she could never feel the same, he had spent too many lonely nights convincing himself of exactly that to think otherwise.

Garnet couldn't live without Brock and he was going to make sure that at least someone was happy after this whole ordeal even if it wasn't him.

Garnet looked between the two, their identical faraway stares and the tears they wouldn't dare cry.  "They hide it well," she whispered to herself she too resisting an urge to cry.

"Please Ash," Misty begged.  "It's like fighting with a blunt sword.  You're fighting a battle you've already lost."

"This coming from my best friend," he sneered sarcastically probably more angry at himself for making her sad than her.  "Glad I found out sooner rather than later how little you really think of me."

"You know that's not what I meant," she pleaded with him as a few tears tried to escape the vast hold she had on her emotions.  "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"Don't you believe in me?" he asked hurt from even having to ask that question of her.

"of course I believe in you," Misty replied.  "I wouldn't be here if I didn't.  But there's just too much at stake here Ash, and we've already taken too many chances.  Soon our luck is going to run out and . . ." she trailed off as it became more difficult to hold back her sobs.  "I don't want to loose you Ash," she finished finally letting a single tear roll down her face

Ash reached out and wiped the tear away, stepping closer to her and cupping his hand against her cheek.

He didn't want to be fighting with her, especially not now when this could be the last time he ever saw her.  When this could be the last chance he would ever have to let her now just how much she meant to him.

He took another step closer to her and spoke loud enough so only she could hear.  "Then put your faith in me, not luck," he told her softly as he lightly caressed her cheek.  "Just take a chance on me and pray you'll be pleasantly surprised."

With that he closed in on that last inch of space between them and gently kissed her mouth before preparing for a battle, which could change their lives forever.

~ to be continued ~

I tried to make this chapter as long as I could, but I didn't really work too well, though I really do love the end.  Heck, I've been trying to get those two crazy kids to kiss since chapter . . . um . . . was it five?

Anyway, next chapter awaits.  I wonder how Misty's going to react to that and this newfound knowledge, no wait I'm using denial Misty, damn it.

Please review, and sorry about the Star Wars crack it was a rather desperate attempt at humour.


	14. Last Kiss

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in.

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon.

Beyond the Shadows – Last Kiss

For a few minutes all Misty could do was stand there with her fingers lightly touching her tingling lips.

It was the sweetest thing she had ever tasted, the greatest feeling of content she had ever experienced and the answer to every prayer she had never dared to ask.

There was something about even the thought of it that sent shivers down her spine and made her feel warm all over again.

Maybe it was the way he had pushed his lips against hers, the desperate way that he had kissed her as if it were his last goodbye, as if it was the one thing he wanted to do before he went like a last wish he needed to come true.

Maybe it was something to do with the fact that for at least the last four years all that she had ever wanted was for him to kiss her.  For all that time it had haunted her dreams at night trying to will it into reality.

Or maybe it was simply because it was reality and no longer a dream that made her feel this way.

There was so much she needed to tell him right now.

She needed to open her heart to him, to tell him everything she felt inside but part of her knew that right now all that he needed was for her to believe in him.

She stood on the sidelines watching him go through his usual pre-battle prep talks and procedures with Pikachu praying for the best.

Misty hung back slightly behind the rest, but mostly behind Ash.  She had to literally restrain herself from running to his side and trying to talk him out of it.

There was so much on the line this time, more than there had ever been ever before.  This time he was on the line.

She couldn't quite figure out why he was doing this.  Sure, Brock was his best friend but to give up his own life for another's like it didn't matter at all was beyond even Ash.

Ash had always confused her but this made no sense at all.  Did he think that she wouldn't care if she were to lose him, her one true love forever?  That she thought so little of him that it didn't matter at all?

Did he think she would just forget about all of this?  Forget about him? That she could ever forget about him?

Did he really think that in her heart they were just best friends, no more, no less?  That he meant nothing to her at all beyond their friendship?  That this was a loss she could replace?

If so, why did he kiss her just now?

Misty swallowed back her tears.  Now was no time to cry.

Misty looked over at Garnet sympathetically.  She could barely believe that Garnet had been able to spend fourteen years of her life with this witch who now planned to take her two best friends and the only guy she could ever loved away from her.

She only hoped Ash was right, for all their sakes.

_'Garnet doesn't deserve this,'_ she thought to herself as she stole a glance at the girl beside her who wore a worried expression identical to her own.  _'Nobody does.  She deserves Brock, after all she's been through she deserves a happy ending.  She deserves love more than I do,'_ she thought sadly to herself stealing glances at Ash, _'and I think part of Ash already knew that.'_

She skipped all her usual pre match rituals, which had become almost subconscious after over five years of having to wait anxiously on the sidelines hoping for the best.  

She didn't cross her fingers, or kiss her lucky rabbits foot or any other superstitious omens of luck she had come across.

She didn't hold her hands together, look up to the sky and pray for victory like she often did, this time it wasn't enough.

This time she just looked to Ash; focused on him alone and put everything in her that wasn't trying to hold back tears into him instead.  She focused all her hopes, her dreams and every word she longed to say towards him hoping that somehow they would give him the courage that she'd never been able to muster.

"He has to win," she muttered softly to herself.  "He just has to."

_'And he will,'_ a reassuring thought echoed in her head.  _'No matter what, he will.'_

Tears welled in her eyes but she held them back.  She had to; she had no other option but to keep up her facade.  She had to be strong right now, for Ash.

"It's alright to cry Misty," Garnet said bringing her attention away from her focus.

A single, broken tear rolled down her face before she had the chance to stop it.  She hoped Ash hadn't seen it, that he hadn't seen through the walls of her disguise, that he still thought she was strong.

"No, it's not," Misty choked out as more tears threatened to escape.  "My best friend is fighting a battle that he may not win and there's nothing I can do to help him.  There's more on the line this time than some stupid badge."

She angrily looked down at her closed fist where she held the kowhai badge that he had worked so hard to get only a few days earlier, that he had forced into her open palm without a second thought as he kissed her that last goodbye kiss.

"I have to be strong," Misty added finding it harder and harder to hold back her tears.  "He has to know that I believe in him.  That against all odds, I believe he can win.

"That's all I have left to believe in," she finished quietly as another tear fell down her face.  "All I have left is the hope that he's going to win this and a little fantasy that constantly plays in my head and for the first time in my life I don't think hope is enough, but it's all I have left."

"It's more than enough Misty," Garnet said softly.  "It's everything.  It's what makes the world go round and it's what makes these tears hold more strength than sorrow."

The two girls embraced each other in hug that they both needed.

Things had changed so much in the span of less than forty eight hours and they were still trying to come to terms with the fact that one or perhaps even both of them may be about to lose the one thing that meant more to them than life itself.

Now the tears drowned out all the words.

_'Stop!'_ Misty mentally scowled at herself.  _'He needs you right now more than he's ever needed you before and all you can do is stand here blubbering.'_

"He needs me," she whispered quietly to herself as she tried to focus on the match and how much she wanted him to win rather than their impending doom.

Ash took one last glance over his shoulder at her.  He took in all of her perfect features simply hoping that this would not be the last time he was given the chance to look at her.  That his stolen kiss wouldn't be his last.

"You ready Ashy-boy?" Kirsten asked tormenting him with his most hated nickname.

"You bet," he replied determinedly glaring at her forcefully.

"Then let's get this match started little boy," she smiled her teeth showing in an evil smirk.  "I choose, Catamaran."

"Pikachu, go," he said as he sent out his most loyal and trusted Pokemon.  "This ones for keeps."

The yellow rodent nodded his head as it took one last glance at its master before making it's way into the battlefield.

"I think you underestimate me boy," she replied scorning at his pitiful pet of a Pokemon stepping up to fight her powerful partner.

"We'll see who's doing the underestimating," he hissed using her temporary lapse of attention to make his first move.  "Pikachu, thunder wave!"

"Catamaran, fade," she said simply.  

The ghostly cat disappeared before Pikachu's attack even had the chance to hit his catlike target.  

"Good, now reappear and hit it with your furry swipes."

Again, catamaran did exactly what was asked of it.  It reappeared where Pikachu least expected it to come from and slashed it's long claws across the poor mouse's skin.

"How about a bite attack catamaran."

Ash waited patiently for the exact moment to strike giving Pikachu the signal not to do anything until he said.  Pikachu looked concerned but nodded his head with determination and understanding.

"Ok Pikachu, thunder shock!" he yelled once catamaran had its deathly fangs almost around his Pokemon.  "Good kitty," Ash muttered to him self as he saw the slightly singed cat recoil it's self from Pikachu.

"Catamaran, payday," Kirsten called.

"Pikachu, use agility to dodge!" Ash countered.

The glowing spheres of the payday attack scattered across the field and Pikachu dodge each and everyone with complete ease.  This, of course, angered Kirsten who as predicted by Ash, had completely underestimated Pikachu's power.

"Screech attack!" Kirsten tried slowly moving up to stronger and stronger attacks.

"Pikachu, use thunder wave to neutralise the effects," Ash commanded.  

Ash didn't know what to think of it.  He had no idea what Catamaran was capable of so until then all he could really do was counter every attack she sent at him until he was given another opening like before.

Both Pokemon followed orders.  Ripples of light erupted from each Pokemon, spreading towards one another until they met one another in a powerful blast proving that the two Pokemon were equals.

Kirsten was getting tired of using Catamaran's mere catlike grace and attacks.  Now was a time to get thing over with.  It was time to use some ghost power she had forced upon the creature unethically to win this match.

"Confuse ray," Kirsten called.

"Do anything you can to dodge it Pikachu!" Ash yelled worriedly.

It was obvious that Pikachu was tiring; he still needed time to recuperate from recent battles.  Pikachu didn't have the power left in him to defeat such a Pokemon right now.

Misty had been right.  He was fighting with a blunt sword, a tiring Pokemon if you must, and it was too late to back out.  This wasn't a battle he could win, but at least some good would come out of his sacrifice, his hearts ultimate sacrifice.

It is exactly as they say.  In times of desperation, the mind finds the means, what the mind gives the heart receives.  But those aren't the times that people write epics about, that people write songs and poems and novels about.

It's the times of loving when the mind asks why.  When the heart is the only one to answer the questions.  When the mind resists and the heart insists.  It's the times when the mind looses, and the heart wins.

For so long he let his mind rule, forced his heart to be the one to follow.  For so long he asked the questions constantly coming up with the wrong answers and constantly forcing himself to look away first when he found Misty's eyes staring back into his own with a brilliance only matched by the sun.

Finally, after spending over four years listening to his head instead of his heart, he stopped resisting the hearts words of encouragement and in that last grasp for happiness before what could possibly be his end, he did something he had longed to for so long.

"Dream eater," Kirsten called pulling Ash away from his distracting thoughts.

Ash and Pikachu didn't even have the chance to react.  The attack was upon him and hit Pikachu full force knocking him back with such force.  Pikachu's energy was dwindling and all knew he wouldn't be able to last it much longer.

Misty continued to watch the match from the sidelines her face contorted in pain and fair.  It was as if her feet were suddenly glued to the floor, no matter what she did she couldn't get the messages to her legs for them to move, so she could run to his side and drag him away from the battle before he really did loose.

_'It's all wrong,'_ she thought to herself sadly.  _'This isn't how it's supposed to end.'_

She looked at him just standing there watching in sadness.  It was if he shared his Pokemon's pain, as if he could feel the attack eating at his own dreams, scratching at his own wounds and killing him from the inside.

She could feel it too.  She didn't think she could just stand there much longer just waiting for the love of her life to be taken away from her without him knowing exactly how she felt about him.

"Ash," she sobbed quietly as loud as she could muster through her strained tears that flowed freely down her cheeks, "I love you."

Somehow, over the noises of the battle, Misty's voice run clearly in his ears filling him with a feeling of content he had never, ever felt before and feared he would never feel again.

Ash knew it was a stupid thing to do.  He knew it was a bad choice, but everything inside him, told him to despite all this.  Everything told him to trust his heart, to resist the mind, to follow the hearts insistent call to her.

Ash turned away from the battle.  Despite everything inside him that told him not to, that told him what a big mistake he was making, that warned him of the consequence of this decision, he turned away from the battle.

He felt himself drawn to her and couldn't turn away even if he wanted to.  At that very moment all he wanted to do was take her in his arms.

It was almost as if they were the only ones there.  Everything about them began to fade including the sounds of the battle being fought in the centre of the arena.

He didn't even hear Kirsten call out for another attack, for the most powerful attack her ghost Pokemon could muster, he was to lost in his own thoughts to even care anymore.

Luckily, Pikachu dodged the attack on instinct without any instruction, but the blast held such force it just continued.  It's one of Newton's laws; an object once put in motion must stay in motion unless acted upon by another force.  Or in simpler terms, the attack would surely just keep on going, continue on it's course until something got in it's way, like perhaps a brick wall . . . or a person.

And that's exactly what it did.  It simply continued on its course, continued moving closer and closer towards Misty, it's new target, a force to reckon with.

"No!!!" Ash screamed forgetting about anything else for the time being.  Misty was simply more important.

His own safety was disregarded despite Pikachu's cries as he ran to her side.  Without a single thought towards his own well being he pushed her aside and took the blast himself, making him the attacks target.

The room glowed black as the object met its force and proved Newton right once again.

"Ash!" Misty cried out as she ran to where Ash lay lifelessly on the floor.  "Oh god, please Ash, say something," she sobbed as she lightly shook his shoulders praying for any kind of response.

He cautiously opened his chocolate brown eyes and smiled up at her as best he could.  "I'm glad you're ok Misty," he said his voice slightly strained as he tried to lift himself up again.

Misty gently pushed him back down as she watched him with complete awe.  "Of course I'm ok," she gaped at him as her tears of excruciating pain she hadn't even realised were falling down her face easily turned to those of happiness.  "I'm not the one that got hit by Catamaran's deadly night shade attack.  Now why would you go and do a silly thing like putting your own life in danger for me Ash?  What would I ever do if you hadn't survived it?" she asked sobbing at the thought and turning away so he wouldn't see her weak.

"Shh," he said softly as he reached up to touch her face.

Misty turned to face him, her eyes looking into his searching for something she didn't think she would find.

"It's because I love you Misty," he said with all the sincerity he could muster.  "I have to be brave for you, do stupid things for you and risk everything for you because you're the only thing in this world that's worth it.  I don't think I could bare it for very long if it let you get hurt like that."

More tears of joy filled her eyes as she gently kissed his forehead.  "I love you too Ash," she told him.

He smiled and gently stroked her face bringing it closer to his as they finally shared their first real kiss as it was meant to be.  It was filled with everything that was kept inside of them and meant all that was unable to be spoken.

Ash closed his eyes as he took a shaky breath.  There was complete, almost deathly silence as her one true love laid presumed dead in her arms.  The only sound was Misty's desperate pleas for him to come back to her.

'How can I just let you walk away 

_Just let you leave without a trace_

_When I stand here taking every breath with you_

_You're the only one who really knew me at all'_

"No Ash," she cried into his chest trying to wake him.  "You can't leave me likes this, not now.  I need you Ash.  I can't make it without you, not now, not ever.  Please don't go Ash."

'How can you just walk away from me 

_When all I can do is watch you leave_

_Cause we shared the laughter and the pain_

_We even shared the tears_

_You're the only one who really knew me at all'_

"Yuck," Kirsten said disgustedly breaking the silence.  "Like I want him now he's like dead.  I think you can have him, I'll stick with rock boy."

Misty turned away from the lifeless body of her best friend and turned the infamous 'Waterflower glare' on Kirsten with all its might.

Misty bright blue green eyes suddenly seemed dead and lifeless.  Her face was like a stone statue lacking any emotion whatsoever other than the pure unadulterated hate aimed directly at Kirsten.  

Misty had changed in those few short minutes.  It was as if the Misty Waterflower Ash had loved had died along with him and all that was left was an empty shell.

'So take a look at me now 

_Cause there's just an empty place_

_And there's nothing left here to remind me_

_Just the memory of your face_

_So take a look at me now_

_Cause there's just an empty space_

_And you come back to me_

_Is against all odds_

_And that's what I've got to face'_

So with that she turned to the only thing that could possibly cause Kirsten half as much pain as she had caused Misty.

"Togepei," she said darkly her voice monotonous.  Her eyes never left Kirsten as she spoke.  "Ultimate Metronome," she stated simply waiting for the reaction she wanted.

Kirsten gasped.  Even her dark Pokemon, though superior to most, didn't have that kind of power or even the capacity to perform such a feat.  It didn't have it in it to perform the strongest and most unpredictable attack ever, and quite frankly she wasn't brave enough to test her luck with it.

Togepei chirped happily waving its tiny paws back and forth in a pendulum motion before doing as her mother/master asked.

The room shone a blinding shade of blue and by the time it finally faded away, there was nothing left in the room to say they had even been there to begin with.

~ to be continued ~

Gosh that was one long chapter.  Anyway, I hope it wasn't too bad, like I said battle scenes isn't something I'm really good at and I don't actually have a clue how any of the uncommon attacks work.  I mean sure I know what a basic thunderbolt does but I don't have much of a clue on what payday is like.

I would like to thank my friend Kris for letting me use her for advice on this.  I don't know the first thing about battling and if it weren't for her it probably would have made even less sense than it does.

Please review and I hope you're all looking forward to the conclusion of Beyond the Shadows.


	15. Against All Odds

"You can't make someone love you, all you can do is stalk them and hope with time they panic and give in."

Disclaimer – I don't own Pokemon, do own Garnet and Catamaran no matter how lame a name it has.  I don't own the song either, which is preformed by my favourite band Westlife with Mariah Carey and was written by Phil Collins (I think).

Beyond the Shadows – Against All Odds

"Togepei, Ultimate Metronome."

The room glowed blue, as expected when such an attack was preformed even by one as young as Togepei.

If you could see into that light, you wouldn't believe your eyes as the most powerful attack known to any Pokemon with even the smallest amount of psychic ability shrouded them all in a blinding light.

You would have seen and heard Kirsten scream as she watched her body begin to fade away.  She was breaking away, falling to pieces as her very existence was wiped from the face of humanity.

You would have seen a bright flash of light surrounded our hero's transporting them to some kind of unknown destination, but just before that flash obscured all vision perhaps you would have seen the sudden rise of the lifeless bodies chest, as it lay sprawled across the floor.

But that was the past.

Brock was the first to recognize their new destination; after all he had spent his time mindlessly walking through it just before he met Garnet.  It was the very place that had changed his life for the better.

They were in the centre of the Hazelton reserve.

It was empty now of course, people had left just like the sun maybe hours early.  The forest seemed dark and haunting, probably full of all kinds of bugs and ghosts, but with her mind else where, Misty failed to notice this.

In all honesty, she was beyond caring now.

The light had gone; the fire within her that always burnt so boldly had been blown out along with Ash's candle.  

She was completely empty now.  She was like a shell of a human being only feeling pain, and anger and the emotions her broken heart had left behind.

Now she knew she couldn't live without him.  For so long she had really wondered if she could and now she had no choice in the matter.  She had toyed with the idea of just giving up, just packing up and leaving everything, including him behind never to see him again but her heart just wouldn't let her.

She had never imagined what she would ever do if she ever lost her.  I guess she kind of just thought he would live forever.  I mean, this is Ash were talking about, the boy who had gotten himself in and out of more dangerous situations than it was thought humanly possible with little more than a few scratches here and there, how could he of all people die?

So there they all were, well most of them, Brock and Garnet, Togepei and Pikachu, Misty and . . . no one.  They were all there, what was left of them was there.

_'But not Ash,'_ Misty thought to herself sadly.  _'Never again, at least not physically.'_

'I wish I could just make you turn around 

_Turn around and see me cry_

_There's so much I need to say to you_

_So many reasons why_

_You're the only one who really knew me at all'_

And with that thought Misty's legs grew weak and gave way beneath her making her crumble to the ground in an abandoned heap of despair.

All her strength was gone, what little she had left.  The only thing that had kept her standing for so long was her the anger fuelling her body and mind, but now that was gone and all she had left was the sadness and pain left behind.

All that was left was that emptiness inside, like a big gaping hole within her body with nothing that could ever fit just the same way.  Chances are it was the hole where her heart was supposed to be, I mean it was gone now, and she wasn't sure anything would be able to repair it.

'So take a look at me now 

_Cause there's just an empty space_

_And there's nothing left here to remind me_

_Just the memory of your face_

_So take a look at me now_

_Cause there's just an empty space_

_But to wait for you _

_Well that's all I can do_

_And that's what I've got to face'_

Misty curled herself into a ball, wrapping her arms around herself and knowing she would never feel the warmth of his arms again.  She would always be cold; it would always be night for her no matter the time of day because without him to light her way everything was black.  From now on nothing would be able to warm her heart, her soul, that she would never feel warm again.  

The walls that Ash had broken down during their travels together had been re-erected in one last desperate attempt to free herself of ever feeling pain again, but it was already too late because the death of the one person she cherished more than anything else in existence hurt even more than her parent's death.

These sudden realizations hit her full force, with all the strength they could muster to break the shields she hid behind.  She began to sob uncontrollably unable to hold back the tears any longer than she already had.

'Take a good look at me now 

_Cause I'll still be standing here_

_And you coming back to me is against all odds_

_And that's the chance I've got to take'_

A soft groan was heard somewhere behind her but she was already far to deep into her despair to care or even notice for that mater, there was nothing that could break the spell that her emotions held over her now.  Well almost nothing.

"Hush now," a soft masculine voice uttered in her ear, his breath tickling her neck sending a shiver of pleasure down her spine.  Two warm arms, arms she had thought she was never to feel again, wrapped themselves around her so naturally it seemed they had never left her sides.

Her breath caught in her throat and she had to constantly remind herself to breath.  _'It couldn't be, could it?'_

"It's alright Myst.  I'm here now," he said softly.

This removed all doubt from her mind.  To her, there was only one person allowed to call her Myst, and he was the only one who ever did. It just had to be him; she didn't think she could stand it if it wasn't.

She turned around cautiously at first, but surely enough as chocolate met cerulean her walls were destroyed once again.

He gently stroked her cheek, wiping away the tears she had cried for him, caressing away all her fears, all the pain and heartache.  

For now, at least, all would be forgotten.  For the next few moments it would be only them.

She reached up to touch his face, to make certain he was real and not just a cruel figment of her imagination.  New tears sprung to her eyes, tears of happiness and joy and pure content.

Instinct took over.  Without even thinking, he threw caution to the wind and brushed his lips against those of the girl he had longed to kiss for longer than he cared to note.

True, there was nothing to be cautious about, after all they had both declared their undying love for each other in those few moments before her world had almost come to an end, but what good was a near death decree when he didn't get the full enjoyment of the goodbye kiss?

This kiss was nothing like the others, the two desperate kisses when the end was near and the almost kiss at the gym, if that even counted.  This kiss was neither frantic, nor stopped abruptly before it even had the chance to begin.

It was sweet, surreal and unrivalled.  They could feel all their emotions flowing through the kiss as if it were it's own sweet poetry, it's own never-ending love song.

Misty's arms wrapped around his neck and she played with the hair at the nape of his neck curling her fingers through the ebony locks.  One of Ash's arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer to him as if he never wanted to let her go ever again while the other caressed her cheek and weaved it's way through the hair that framed her heart shaped face.

By the time the kiss finally came to an end both were breathing heavily and gasping for air, but they knew it was worth it.

"I was so afraid I had lost you forever this time," Misty said suddenly leaning into his chest.  Ash simply wrapped his arms tighter around her waist and whispered comforting words into her ear.

"Never," he replied in little more than a whisper.  "Forever is too long to spend away from you."

Misty couldn't help but sigh contently.  Her arms wrapped even tighter around him, she knew she could never let him go again.

The hole in her heart was repaired by the only one that could ever mend it.  The hole in her heart was repaired by the only one that could ever mend it.  

The light had returned to her.  The fire in her spirit that Ash loved so much was back for good, and things would never have to be the way they used to be ever again.

She no longer doubted herself, her feelings for Ash or even whether he had feelings for her, she knew all were true.  She would never have to hide away in the shadows as she cried herself to sleep late at night.  She would never have to watch him from the sidelines, from behind the mirrored windows as she had once before collecting messages from beyond the shadows.

I guess in some ways it is exactly as they say; you can't make people love you no matter how hard you try; but sometimes, you don't have to.

'Just take a look at me . . . now' 

~ The End ~

I can't believe you all actually thought that I would just leave it there, that I would really just kill Ash off like that.  I don't think I'm even capable of anything other than a happy ending.

Ok the first step here is the thank you's and then after that it's onto the next two story samples.  For those of you who don't know what the hell I'm on about it's just a few bits of these seven fic's I'm working on that I want your opinions on.  If you like you can go to the last chapter of Valentines Verse: Lost Lyrics for the first three but I will have complete summaries in the final Reason's chapter so don't worry.

Right-y-o, thank you's [takes deep breath]

Amelia – my first reviewer, which in turn makes you my new best friend soz Lisa

Morbane – thanks, I don't think I've ever been described as smooth and slick before.  The bit with the colour is actually based on a joke between me and my friends and one of them asked my if I knew what the word monogamy means cause I like all these guys and I replied in the most air-headed voice I could muster 'isn't that a colour'.  It kind of pissed her off; those were good times.  

Michael ran away after Garnet so Kirsten was after him, at least that's what I thought up in my head.  I never really thought it out to well because I wasn't planning on much else happening with that.  I know I was a little lazy with the battle thing but it just wouldn't have been the same otherwise.  And yes I am from NZ.

Kasuka – thank you, the entire beginning was kind of dark but hey, I was trying to experiment in a different genre.

Samamtha002 – Thanks, I was trying to get a little out of my usual trend but I'm kind of incapable of anything other than AAMR's.

Asid Reyn – Thanks, I tried my best to describe it well but I had a bit of trouble in the first chapter seeing as I don't know much about that sort of thing but I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Aurora chan – thanks, it's kind of weird to think this whole thing was inspired by Michelle Branch (don't ask, I barely understand why).

Light Sneasel – Well what started out as a cameo turned into a bit of a sub-plot.

Niteskystar – thank you for your reviews, I'm so glad you like it.

Xx Kusanagi xX – I'm trying to remember whether or not I forced you to review or put a guilt trip on you to make you review.  Damn it I wish I knew.  And by the way I have an 'i' in my name.

RoxynomekoP1288 – thank you and I'm glad you like Reason's too, only two more chapters till that ones done too.

Stoko – I know for sure I made you review but oh well, at least Misty finally got her aim right by the end.

Nova S. – I'm quite proud of how those first few chapters ended up, I don't think anyone, even myself, knew where it would be heading to.

Joy-girl – Thanks, I hope it was all to your liking.  I'm not sure why misty would be mad in the morning, maybe he knows it's that time of the month.  I should have thought that out more.

Vinny – glad you liked it.  I know parts of it made very little sense but there was a point to it there.

B4me – I hope things worked out for you and your friend similarly (of course minus the bit where he dies rather brutally then comes back to life) and I'm glad you like this and my other stories.

Diamond Dust – thank you, I try to keep all my work at a high standard especially trying to keep up with Reason's.  I'm glad you like them both.

 - Thanks for the review

Karayel – thank you, I'm glad you liked it so much.

Jinnai – thanks for your review, glad you enjoyed it.

Wimaf – glad you liked the BAGLE.  To think I picked her name on the basis of what sort of word I could make. Thanks for reviewing.

Aisha ClanClan – Thank you for the review as confusing as it may be.

Lady Michiko – Thanks for your review, luckily I came up with something.  If it weren't for Kirsten I'd be completely stuck for it.

Overlord – I like the metaphor about the 'leaf in the tree of secrets', a very interesting way of putting things.  Thanks for reviewing.

Queen of Games – thank you; hope you liked how it all turned out.

Blue Flamed Cheetah – Thank you

Rae – I'm glad you liked this so much.  As you can tell there was nothing to worry about, like I said I'm just not capable of sad endings.

Mistimystig – Thank you, and hope Catamaran was strong enough.  It was kind of hard because Ash's Pikachu is made out to be practically invincible.  Sorry 'bout the cliffhanger, I can't seem to help it.

Kyuugi – hope you didn't wait too long.  Sorry if you did, I really seem to enjoy drawing things out and having the most awful cliffhangers ever.  I should really try to stop doing that.

Dancergla06 – That's ok.  Glad you like Catamaran, when I decided to make him an experiment gone wrong I was actually quite close to making Kirsten a member of Team Rocket.  Wonder what ever happened to them in this fic.

Kit Kat – I'm surprised anyone liked the Star Wars crack.  I thought they might have been the sort of thing that no one but me would understand like my LOTR jokes but I'm glad you liked them all the same.

Ash and misty forever – That's why I needed such a strong Pokemon, I needed it so that Ash wouldn't have a chance in hell and quite frankly he didn't.  Glad you liked it and there should be another reasons up next weekend (or Friday cause Saturday morning here is usually Friday night everywhere else).

Vash the stampede – no I don't live in Pennsylvania I was just trying to use colour because basically all the places in Kanto are named after colours.  I didn't really know that Hazleton was a place.

 Crystal y satoshi 4ever love – I hope that was a happy enough ending for you.  At least it was sweet enough to suffice my sweet tooth.  Glad you liked the fic, thanks for the review.

Sally – glad you liked it and as you can see I didn't leave him dead.

Nikki – thanks, I'm glad you liked it and I'm actually kind of sad that it had to come to an end so quickly, I was hoping for like twenty more chapters of this like Reason's but you can't always get want you want.

Ok so that's all of them, and thanks to anyone who didn't review the story as well.  I wouldn't have continued if it weren't for the great response I got from you all.

Right; now the next part of this process.  

It's actually kind of funny.  Ash and Misty forever suggested that I do a Sweet Home Alabama parody and one of the first fic's I have for you to look at is that.  It must be true what they say; great minds really do think a like.

Sweet Home Pallet 

"Kasumi!" people called from every direction trying to snag an interview with Emerald City's hottest new designer.

Kasumi waved and smiled as she followed Shane towards the waiting limo.

"Oh god, I can't believe I did it," she exclaimed as she relaxed into her seat exhaustedly.  "I really did it.  I am now officially a designer."

"And, as I can see, you wouldn't have it any other way," Shane smiled at her coyly.

Kasumi tried to block the image of Ash that wavered into her mind.  It was so hard to escape.  His chocolate brown eyes decorated with flakes of the purest amber seemed to smile at her, enticing her and reminding her of what she left behind.  His smile seemed to wrap it's way around her heart speaking to her in a way that she had never thought possible.

She closed her eyes falling deeper under her spell and into her unconsciousness.  She could feel her dreams clouding into her reality as everything about her became further and further away.

_'No,'_ she tried to warn herself to no avail.  She thought she had left that part of her that was so in love with Ash back when she left him.  For seven years she was positive she had and suddenly he had wormed his way into her heart all over again.

"We're here," Shane said breaking her away from her thoughts.

She was sure that he had been talking to her somewhere along the way to their destination but she couldn't quite remember if she had answered him or not or even what he had said to begin with.  She just hoped he hadn't noticed.

"I thought we were going to Emerald Square," Kasumi said more to herself as she surveyed the peaceful surroundings.

It was a beautiful lush forest but the only problem was that it reminded her of her days as a Pokemon trainer and specific trainer in particular.  I'm sure you can all guess which one, the one that broke her heart and turned her cold, the one that had been her entire world for as long as she could remember, the one that she had to leave behind all of seven years ago chasing after a new dream.

"What do you think?" Shane asked her a wide grin forming on his face.

She knew this was for her and she knew it was supposed to make her happy.  Emerald City with it's bright lights and sounds had very few places even remotely resembling forests and she knew he would have had to look mighty hard to find a place like this, especially one so similar to her real home.

She tried to be pleased or at least look it, but it was hard not to force a smile when one look at this place flooded her with so many memories she longed to forget.  This place was just too much.

Shane noticed the tears falling down her face long before she did but blinded by his own happiness he presumed that she shared the same joy that she had fallen in love with this place in seconds just as he had.

How wrong could he be?

Karate, Kung Fu and Forty-Seven Other Dangerous Words 

"Ash Ketchum!" she cried jarring me from my thoughts.  "Did you even hear what I just said?"

"Oh I'm sorry Myst.  I was just . . ."

"Daydreaming?" she asked smugly finishing off my sentence.

"I was listening," I argued.

"Really?  Then what's out next mission?" she asked smiling ever so sweetly.  God I love her smile.

"To save Pokemon from being mutated, used, abused or just mistreated in general by Team Rocket and hence destroy their latest scheme which chances are is so completely and utterly senseless that it probably would have failed without our help and destroy their latest headquarters while kicking a little Rocket ass just for fun," I rattle off the top of my head in the one breath with very little thought.  (A/N: I dare each and every one of you to try that, it is not easy)

She glared at me.  Sometimes I wonder what she's thinking about while she's doing that, I mean she can't really want to kill me that much, can she?  I wonder what it would be like to be able to read Misty's mind.

"Lucky guess," she said distastefully, "but that doesn't prove anything."

"But I was paying attention," I whined.  Misty hates it when I whine, but that's just all the more reason to do so, she looks so cute when she's annoyed.

"Really?" she asked disbelieving in a bored tone.  "Then why don't we just take a lil' ole squiz at your notes?"

I looked down at my page and hoped to god that I wasn't blushing at the words I had absentmindedly scrawled across my page.  Misty Kasumi Ketchum, Mrs. M Ketchum, Misty and Ashton Satoshi Ketchum, Mrs. Misty Ketchum, Misty Kasumi Waterflower Ketchum, Misty K. Ketchum Waterflower, Mrs. M. K. Ketchum Waterflower.

"Fine," I said looking up and hiding my notes.  "You win, I wasn't listening."

So please tell me what you think about these.  I really want your opinions so I can prioritise these and I'd be grateful if you checked out the ones at the end of Valentines Verse as well.

Thanks again.


End file.
